Foreign alert: Probe Tripura Congress’ meeting with US officials, says CPI-M

Tripura's ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has demanded a probe into a meeting between Congress leaders and US officials in Agartala on Thursday.

‘The state government must inquire why and with what purpose the US officials held a meeting with (Congress) opposition leader Sudip Roy Barman and Congress working president (for Tripura) Ashish Kumar Saha,’ CPI-M state secretary Bijan Dhar told reporters.

Dhar, a CPI-M central committee member, said: ‘It is a matter of concern that US officials met only opposition leaders.’ Kolkata-based US Consul for political and economic affairs Gaurav Bansal and global affairs advisor Sourabh Sen arrived here on Thursday on a two-day visit to Tripura. 

They met leaders of Tripura Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Congress leaders and some other people.

The US officials also visited the Akhaura checkpost along the India-Bangladesh border, near here.

Dhar said: ‘Before the West Bengal assembly elections in 2011, WikiLeaks had disclosed that the US consulate in Kolkata had advised the American government to cultivate the then opposition leader and present West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.’

Government should find out whether the meeting between the US officials and Congress leaders is with similar purpose,’ the Left leader said.