Agartala, Apr 15 (IANS): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has said that his government has been contemplating reopening cases of political murders reportedly "carried out during the previous Left Front and Congress regimes".

Saha, who also holds the Home portfolio, while talking to the media said that after the completion of the Lok Sabha election process, the state government may reopen the cases relating to "murders with political intention".

He said that during his recent visit to South Tripura district, he has learned that in the district, 69 cases of political murders were perpetrated by the 'goons' in 30 years till 2018 which includes 25 years (1993-2018) ruled by Left parties and five years (1988-1993) governed by Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti (TUJS) alliance government.

"At least 69 people were murdered in 30 years in South Tripura district alone as these people raised their voices and protested the policies of the then Left and Congress governments," Saha claimed and said that legal experts are being consulted in this regard.

He said that this 'pattern of murders and violence was seen in Kerala, West Bengal, and Tripura'.

"I can recall that the hands of a voter who voted for a hand symbol (Congress party symbol) were chopped off in West Bengal. Now, the Congress has allied with CPI-M to dupe the people in the name of democracy," Saha said.

The Chief Minister said that they (CPI-M-led Left parties) could not save the life of former Health Minister Biman Sinha who was killed in the Left regime.

Sinha was killed by the militants in March 1998.

Besides Sinha, Congress MLAs Madhusudan Saha, Parimal Saha and BJP leader Chanmohan Tripura were murdered in the erstwhile Left regime, Saha said, and remarked that the Left had become the "biggest enemy" of the people.

Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan and initiatives for the development of the northeast, Saha said that the Central government's 'Act East Policy' is the catalyst for the all round development of the region and the welfare of the people.

PM Modi-led government's policies and programmes ended the militancy, tension, unrest and roadblockade-like agitations in the northeastern states, the Chief Minister added.