Agartala: Tripura Pradesh Congress president Asish Kumar Saha on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the Tipra Motha party and its founder Pradyot Debbarma, terming the party’s decision to approach the Supreme Court over the delay in Village Council elections as “political drama.”
Saha alleged that while Tipra Motha fought the Assembly elections against the BJP by mobilising tribal sentiments, the party later extended support to the government.
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“On one hand, Pradyot criticises the government, but at crucial moments he steps in to protect it. This is nothing but a political game plan,” he said.
The Congress leader maintained that the issue of long-pending Village Council elections should have been resolved through discussions between alliance partners.
He accused Debbarma of deliberately opting for a legal route despite the Tripura High Court’s earlier directive to conduct the polls. “Instead of ensuring implementation of the High Court order, he chose to move the Supreme Court, which only adds to the drama,” Saha said.
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Highlighting the significance of Village Committee elections for tribal-dominated areas, Saha pointed out that their financial authority remains limited compared to the 3-tier Panchayat system.
He stressed the need for the passage of the 125th Constitutional Amendment, which, he said, would empower Village Councils with greater financial authority and ensure direct funding to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
“The amendment, introduced during Manmohan Singh’s tenure, has been pending for years. Despite ruling at the Centre for over a decade and governing Tripura for more than seven years, the BJP’s double-engine government has failed to implement it,” Saha said.
He added that the delay in reforms and lack of funds continues to affect development in tribal areas. “The real sufferers are the tribal people. Without adequate financial support, development is not possible,” Saha said.