Tripura Congress Leader Sudip Roy Barman Criticizes BJP for Failing to Honor Promises Made to Tripura’s Indigenous Community

The Congress leader also criticised the BJP-led state government for continuously delaying the Village Committee elections in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

Senior Tripura Congress leader and former minister Sudip Roy Barman has launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of deceiving the indigenous people of Tripura by using the Tripartite Agreement, also known as the Tipra Accord, as a mere election gimmick.

Speaking to Northeast Live on the eve of the agreement’s first anniversary, Roy Barman alleged that the BJP had exploited Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Debbarma’s political vulnerability, only to later bring his party into the state government without fulfilling promises made to the indigenous population.

“Motha founder Pradyot Debbarma has been fooled by the BJP. They have no intention of working towards the overall development of the indigenous people, especially those residing in the northeastern states under the Sixth Schedule. The agreement was signed on March 2, with the promise of implementation within six months, but nothing has materialised. By September 2, the deadline had lapsed, and now, with another March 2 approaching, a full year will have passed. It was just an election gimmick used to trap Pradyot Kishore Debbarma in an awkward position. The BJP has no political will to genuinely uplift the indigenous people of Tripura or the Northeast,” Roy Barman said.

The Congress leader also criticised the BJP-led state government for continuously delaying the Village Committee elections in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). Despite assurances given to the Tripura High Court that the elections would be held by December 2024, there have been no further updates.

“So far as the Village Committee elections are concerned, the state government had assured the Tripura High Court that they would be conducted in December 2024. The Congress has been demanding timely elections, but there has already been a significant delay. The better option is to hold the elections after the passage of the 125th Amendment Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 5th March 2020. However, despite five years passing, the bill remains unapproved,” Roy Barman stated.

He further alleged that if the bill had been passed, the structure of the Village Committees would have shifted from a single-tier system to a three-tier system, leading to greater financial resources and administrative empowerment. He accused the BJP of deliberately stalling this empowerment process.

“The mindset of the ruling party in Delhi is such that they believe empowering the Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) means empowering Christianity. This kind of thinking has led to continuous delays in both the 125th Amendment Bill and the Village Committee elections,” he added.

Roy Barman’s remarks highlight growing political tensions in Tripura, particularly regarding the treatment of indigenous communities and the BJP’s handling of tribal governance.

Also Watch

For more news and updates, visit: Northeast Live

COMMENTS