Agartala, September 14:
A week after facing allegations of amassing assets through his position, Tripura Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma on Saturday dismissed the accusations as baseless during a press conference held in his chamber.
Debbarma also announced that in next 48 hours he would file a defamation suit against Congress MLA and former Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman, who he claims has falsely accused him to tarnish his image.
The controversy began last week during a session of the Tripura Legislative Assembly, where Roy Barman accused Debbarma of accumulating wealth for himself and his family members, including his wife and son, within a short period of little more than a year while serving as a Minister in Chief Minister Manik Saha’s cabinet.
In a subsequent press conference, Roy Barman alleged that Debbarma’s assets included a 3-BHK apartment in Mahavir Enclave, New Delhi, an under-construction house in Lambucherra, a house in Baramura foothills, and latest an old house belonging to a renowned Agartala-based doctor, and two petrol pumps registered under his wife and son’s names, among other properties.
Roy Barman further expressed concerns about alleged corruption in a Rs 1,400 crore World Bank-funded project intended for the socio-economic development of Tripura’s tribal communities through the Tribal Welfare department.
Addressing the media, Debbarma firmly denied the allegations and vowed to challenge Roy Barman in court.
“If Roy Barman can prove that I own Dr. Ila Lodh’s house and my wife or son the petrol pumps in Teliamura and Behalabari, I will retire from politics. If he cannot, he must do the same,” Debbarma asserted.
However, he accepted that he had registered the other properties after he became Minister though some of them were purchased earlier but registered recently.
In addition, reports have surfaced regarding a boundary wall around the Minister’s ancestral house at Krishnapur in Khowai district, which was allegedly constructed by Rural Development department at a cost of around Rs 10 lakh, with expenses borne by the state’s Tribal Welfare Department.
Debbarma confirmed the construction but clarified that it was done for his security purposes, and the full details could be obtained from the department in question.
The allegations have sparked significant political tension, with both parties standing their ground as the matter escalates toward legal proceedings.
