News source: Prothom alo, Date: 8th September, 2001,
Web site address: http://www.prothom-alo.com
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News headline: Debate in the worker's meeting of JSS regarding election participation or, boycotting
Final declaration will be made by the Party
Chief Mr. Santu Larma on 21st September

News report- by Rangamati Correspondent

It is learnt tht the JSS is considering the hard line strategy to boycott and resist the upcoming election. Finally it was decided that the declaration that would be made by the JSS leader Mr. Santu Larma on 21 September at Rangamati stadium will be regarded as the final decision of the party regarding boycotting election. It was decided in the JSS worker's meeting at Rangamati yesterday.

It is worthy to mention here that the JSS had earlier organized a few strikes in the CHT region urging the people to boycott and resist the election unless its demand to make a fresh electoral list including only the permanent resident of CHT is fulfilled. The source informed that yesterday, there was a hot debate in the workers meeting of JSS on the question of boycotting or participating in the election. One group has opined that participation in the election means accepting the Bengali settlers as residents of CHT. So they are in favour of taking a hard stance and proposing a series of strikes before the election.

The other group has opined that it would be impossible to resist the election and any effort in trying for that will indirectly help Mr. Dipankar Talukda, the Awamil League candidate to win in the election. They have explained the reason that in a situation of boycotting only the hill people will not participate in the election and the Bengali will certainly participate in the election. In a situation like that many Bengali will vote for Mr. Talukdar. Moreover, among the hill people a section who are against the boycotting will also vote for Mr. Talukdar. This group has argued for resisting Mr. Talukdar at any cost. According to them Mr. Talukdar has done the maximum harm to the interest of the hill people by his selfish policy etc. This group believe that if the election is accepted than Mr. Mani Swapan Dewan, BNP candidate will come out as winner as three fourth of the Jummas or hill people of Ranagamati will cast vote for him hence, the decision will not go against the JSS.

On the other hand those who are in favour of resisting the election have argued that in 1996 election, the BNP candidate Mr. Parijat Kusum Chakma got 38, 409 votes against the Awami League candidate Mr. Talukdar who got 63,101 votes. In that election very few hill people had caste their votes for BNP candidate and three fourth of the hill people had caste their votes for Awami League candidate. According to them it implies that the Bengalis in Rangamati district do not caste their vote for the Awami League. So they have shown reason that if the Bengali voters participate in the election Mr. Mani Swapan Dean will come out as winner and the JSS will be able keep its earlier promise of boycotting and resisting election.

It is learnt that the JSS is preparing for the largest gathering that ever made in the CHT history. The venue and date for that gathering is fixed as Rangamati Stadium, on 21 September where Mr. Larma will make his final declaration. In the meantime the JSS circulated its party poster for that mega event. The poster reads " Boycott and resist the general election in CHT".
From JSS source it has been clarified that they will only make appeal to the people and will not take the course of violence.
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News headline: JSS's handout intensified the possibility of conflict

One declaration handout of JSS published by its Khagrachari district branch has intensified the possibility of conflict in the upcoming election. The hand out published in the last Thursday has urged the government to ban the participation of the United Peoples Democratic Front's (UPDF) leaders in the upcoming election and arrest them to avoid the bloody conflict.

The JSS earlier openly declared to boycott and resist the election to fulfil its five point demand. But participation in the election by the UPDF, the political opponent of the JSS has turned the situation into a highly conflicting mode in the hills. The tone of the language of the circulated handout with an urge to boycott and resist election is considered as the JSS's stance against UPDF. It has become the central point of discussion in Khagrachari district.

Recently, in a law and order committee meeting convened by the district administrator in presence of Divisional Commissioner, the JSS leader Mr. Sudasindhu Kisha and Mr. Rakthoutpal Tripura explained that "boycotting and resisting election does not mean bloody conflict or arm mongering etc."

In the meantime, the JSS leadership and its workers are pursuing the indigenous peoples of the district for not participating in the election. They are reported to be going from house to house for persuasion and opinion mobilization. It has been reported that the JSS leadership is organizing its worker's meeting frequently at their office at Narikel Bagan in Khagrachari district town and deciding their strategy. JSS leader Mr.Sudasindhu Kisha said to the Prothom-alo correspondent that if they face any pressure from any quarter in their peaceful movement of boycotting the election they will resist it even by sacrificing their blood.
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