BJP-TIPRA clash on TTAADC budget in Tripura Assembly

Agartala: Leader of the Opposition Animesh Debbarma and Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday got involved in a heated debate over the flow of funds in areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

As Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha sought to counter the sweeping charges of financial deprivation against his government, Leader of the Opposition Animesh Debbarma outrightly rejected the CM’s counterarguments maintaining that they were not in the assembly to be fooled.

While addressing the house on the motion of thanks to the governor’s address, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party BJP can only bring development for the indigenous people of the state. We keep hearing from our friends in the opposition that TTAADC is not getting any attention from the end of the state government. But the flow of funds to the TTAADC areas tells an altogether different story. With due respect to what has been told by the members of the principal opposition party, I want to add there are other aspects of the spending as well. In the financial year 2021-22, the TTAADC administration has directly received Rs 537.25 crore but the 49 departments that are controlled by the state government have spent a whopping amount of Rs 4,401.04 crore. In 2022-23, the TTAADC administration received Rs 543 crore while the total amount spent by the state government through its 49 departments stands at Rs 4,404 crore.”

Dr Saha’s statement drew a sharp response from the Leader of the Opposition Animesh Debbarma who refused to accept the figures and said, “I have been looking after the finance of the TTAADC for a substantial period of time. I have never seen such a flow of funds in the TTAADC. I don’t know the source of the statistic you have shared but I disagree with this.”

To placate the LoP and the other members of the opposition bench, Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath intervened and urged TIPRA Motha to at least listen to the CM’s whole speech. The Chief Minister then stated: “Whatever I have said is hundred per cent accurate. Out of the administrative control of TTAADC, there are 49 state departments working. These budgets are allocated for those departments,” Dr Saha added.

On the charges of post-poll violence, Dr Saha referred to some of the newspaper reports published after the poll results and said, “This is planned violence which has been let loose strategically against the BJP workers to malign the government’s image. Even after that, police had taken a slew of steps. Around 23,000 people had been put under preventive detention, and arrests were made against 90 per cent of the FIRs. In January, 235 people had been arrested against 254 FIRs, in February, 189 people were arrested against 182 FIRs and in March 145 people had been arrested against 39 FIRs. Notices were issued against thousands of people. This is the law and order situation of the state.”

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