Agartala, June 9:
Even as Tripura’s ruling ally BJP and the TIPRA Motha party continue to project unity at the top leadership level, fresh unrest in a tribal area of Unakoti district has once again highlighted growing dissatisfaction at the grassroots over the prolonged absence of elected Village Committees in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
In a significant development, angry residents of Mailong ADC Village under Chandipur Block locked the village committe office and staged a day-long protest alleging that development works were being carried out without consulting villagers or informing local leadership. A TIPRA Motha party flag was noticed hanging on the lock.
The protest on Monday comes against the backdrop of a long-pending demand for Village Committee elections in the ADC areas by the Motha party with its supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma even knocking the door of the Supreme Court over the issue.
Elections to the Village Committees have remained overdue for more than five years despite repeated demands and legal interventions. The issue has gained renewed political significance following the recent TTAADC elections and subsequent allegations of post-poll violence.
While BJP and TIPRA Motha leaders were recently seen sharing the stage during Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Tripura, the situation on the ground appears far more complex.
TIPRA Motha leaders have consistently being argued that the absence of elected Village Committees has severely affected grassroots governance and implementation of development schemes especially in the tribal-dominated areas.
The party has also alleged that despite adequate security forces being available in the state, the State Election Commission has failed to conduct the elections even after court directives.
According to TIPRA Motha leaders, the BJP fears losing political ground in tribal areas following the outcome of the TTAADC elections and is therefore attempting to delay the Village Committee polls through indirect influence on the election process. The BJP has rejected such allegations.
Against this politically charged backdrop, residents of Mailong ADC Village accused panchayat authorities of executing various development projects funded by government schemes without consulting villagers or holding any Gram Sabha meetings.
The protesters alleged that neither the Panchayat Secretary nor other officials informed residents before initiating development works. They further claimed that Gram Sabha meetings, which are meant to facilitate public participation in local governance, were not being conducted.
Villagers said they had repeatedly raised their concerns with the authorities, but no corrective measures were taken, forcing them to launch the agitation.
The protesters locked the ADC Village office and blocked official activities as a result the situation remained tense and on getting the information, Deputy Magistrates Mati Ranjan Debbarma and Sanjib Debbarma, Chandipur Block BDO Devapriya Das, along with a large contingent of police and TSR personnel, rushed to the spot to prevent any deterioration in law and order.
After several rounds of discussions between the administration and the protesters, an agreement was reached under which all ongoing development works in the village would remain suspended until June 10.
Officials assured villagers that a Gram Sabha meeting would be convened on June 10, during which details of all proposed and ongoing development works would be discussed openly with residents. Only after the consultation process is completed would the projects resume.
Although villagers maintained that the agitation was not organised by any political party, TIPRA Motha flags were seen attached to the locks placed on the office gates.
Again local TIPRA Motha leaders Bipul Debbarma and Biresh Debbarma were prominently present during the protest and later briefed the media after holding discussions with administrative officials.
The incident has once again brought into focus the governance vacuum in ADC areas and the growing demand for democratic representation at the village committee level, an issue that is increasingly emerging as a political test for both the BJP-led government and its ally TIPRA Motha.
