Agartala, August 24:
With elections to Tripura’s village committees in the Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) drawing closer, CPI(M) state secretary and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury on Monday launched a frontal political attack on Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma and the BJP, accusing the two parties of using indigenous sentiments for political gains while tribal people in the ADC areas continue to face unemployment, food insecurity and a lack of basic amenities.
Addressing a protest organised jointly by the CPI(M)-affiliated Ganamukti Parishad, Tribal Youth Federation and Tribal Students Union at Vivekananda Maidan here, Chaudhury alleged that Pradyot Kishore Debbarma was “at the helm” of affairs in the ADC and therefore could not distance himself from alleged corruption and administrative irregularities in the autonomous council.
Chaudhury alleged that Tipra Motha leaders had repeatedly invoked emotional issues concerning indigenous people, including demands for greater political and constitutional rights, but had failed to translate those appeals into improvement in the lives of tribal communities.
“The innocent tribal people are being given sentimental calls and are being befooled in the name of Tipra Pradesh, Tiprasa and other emotional issues,” Chaudhury alleged, asserting that the ground reality in the ADC areas remained markedly different.
He claimed that tribal people were facing acute shortages of jobs, food, drinking water and basic infrastructure, while some political leaders associated with Tipra Motha, IPFT and the BJP had allegedly accumulated wealth.
“On one side, there is no proper road, food, employment or basic amenities in the ADC areas; on the other, within five or six years some leaders have become extraordinarily rich,” Chaudhury alleged, referring to what he described as expensive houses, vehicles and frequent domestic and foreign travel by sections of the political leadership.
The CPI(M) leader also alleged widespread corruption, nepotism and irregularities in the functioning of the TTAADC. Referring to a PIL pending before the High Court of Tripura, he said the ADC had, in its response, admitted that more than 250 appointments had been made during the previous five years without advertisements, interviews or following prescribed recruitment procedures.
He demanded cancellation of appointments found to have been made illegally and a probe into the alleged irregularities.
Chaudhury further alleged that more than 300 retired ADC employees were facing difficulties in receiving their pension and other dues.
He questioned Pradyot’s repeated threats to take action against corruption while remaining politically aligned with the BJP.
“Every three, four or five months, we hear that corruption will be stopped and those involved will be punished. But nothing happens,” Chaudhury said, alleging that the Tipra Motha leadership could not take decisive action because it was “in tandem” and “hand in glove” with the BJP.
Turning his attack towards the BJP, Chaudhury alleged that the state government had also failed to address the large number of vacancies and fundamental problems confronting unemployed youth and tribal communities. He accused Tipra Motha of failing to raise these issues effectively despite controlling the ADC.
The senior CPI(M) leader alleged that the political arrangement between the BJP and Tipra Motha had reduced their public confrontation to rhetoric, with indigenous issues being used as an emotional political instrument while governance and development remained neglected.
Chaudhury, a former MP, also questioned the delay in holding village committee elections, alleging that the BJP and Tipra Motha were using negotiations and political arrangements as a pretext despite the Supreme Court’s direction concerning the elections.
With the village council polls approaching, Choudhury’s attack sought to turn the election contest into a referendum on the performance of Tipra Motha in the ADC and the BJP-Tipra Motha political relationship.
The CPI(M)-backed organisations raised a seven-point charter of demands, including cancellation of allegedly irregular ADC appointments, a probe into corruption and alleged embezzlement of public funds, action against those found responsible, filling vacancies in the state government, strengthening the constitutional powers of autonomous district councils and addressing employment and other basic needs in the tribal areas.
Chaudhury alleged that the central political narrative around indigenous rights had not translated into tangible benefits for ordinary tribal families and said the CPI(M) would take the alleged failures of both the BJP and Tipra Motha to the people ahead of the village council elections.
