Guwahati: The Tripura Legislative Assembly erupted in heated arguments after the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) decided to curtail the number of sitting days in the ongoing 8th session of the 13th Assembly.
The decision triggered strong protests from Opposition parties, who accused the ruling BJP government of avoiding accountability and sidelining urgent public issues.
The session, which began on Friday, will skip its Monday sitting due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Tripura.
The next sitting is set for September 23. Opposition leaders from Congress, CPI(M), and TIPRA Motha condemned the move, calling it undemocratic and dismissive of the public’s concerns.
Congress MLA Gopal Chandra Roy accused the government of widespread corruption across departments and demanded an extension of the session by at least three days to allow proper debate.
He questioned the logic behind suspending Assembly proceedings for a political visit, saying that the House should prioritize pressing matters such as unemployment and agrarian distress.
CPI(M) MLA Shyamal Chakraborty backed Roy’s demand, while Congress MLA and former minister Sudip Roy Barman criticized the BJP for holding Assembly sessions for minimal days, asking whether the House should stop functioning just because the PM is visiting.
Barman added that the Prime Minister might not even know about this arrangement; if he did, he would have advised otherwise.
Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury also weighed in, saying, “Halting the Assembly for a Prime Ministerial visit sends a poor message about governance.”
In response, BJP MLA and Chief Whip Kalyani Roy claimed that the Congress failed to attend the BAC meeting, despite prior notification.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath defended the decision, explaining that key administrative officials would be unavailable due to their engagement with the PM’s event.
“We will increase the number of days in the next Assembly session,” Nath assured.
Deputy Speaker Ram Prasad Paul later tabled the BAC report in the House, and members passed it by vote despite opposition objections.
Just an hour before the session opened on Friday, TIPRA Motha senior leader and Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma expressed frustration over the BJP-led government’s delay in implementing the Tripartite Tiprasa Accord, an agreement signed in 2023 between the Central Government, Tripura Government, and TIPRA Motha to address socio-economic, cultural, and developmental concerns of the tribal community.
Speaking from his Assembly chamber, Debbarma criticized the lack of progress, noting that despite multiple meetings of the Joint Working Group in Delhi, key commitments such as direct funding for TTAADC, identification and deportation of illegal immigrants, and protection of tribal rights remain unfulfilled.
Debbarma also raised concerns about the delay in implementing a recent Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notification aimed at identifying and deporting undocumented migrants who entered Indian territory illegally.
He hinted at escalating the issue in the Assembly to force broader discussion among legislators.
Debbarma’s comments came shortly after TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma participated in a major protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi.
Tribal groups, MLAs, MDCs, and party leaders demanded the Centre deliver a constitutional solution for the tribal population of Tripura.
Pradyot warned that while the community still trusts the Central Government, “this might be the last chance.”
He further alleged that certain BJP leaders are actively opposing the granting of rights to the tribal community, deepening the political rift within the ruling alliance.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath confirmed that the two-day Assembly session will conclude on Tuesday, with Monday suspended for PM Modi’s visit.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate a new structure at the Tripurasundari Temple in Udaipur, Gomati district.
As political tensions rise over reduced Assembly sittings and the stalled Tiprasa Accord, the short session has raised more questions than answers about governance, tribal rights, and democratic functioning in Tripura.