Agartala: Tripura Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury on Monday alleged that the rural areas of Tripura are under the clutches of an unprecedented economic sluggishness due to the apathy of the ruling dispensation.
He said that this unwarranted situation had emerged due to the non-payment of the wages of MGNREGA and other similar employment schemes that ensured the flow of cash into the hands of poor people during the dry season.
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“The end of the Bengali calendar is generally considered to be a dry season. During this period, the farmers don’t have crops for harvesting. The day-wage workers also face some financial constraints because of the absence of work in croplands. And, for almost every community, this period is crucial because of some festivities organised to mark the arrival of the New Year.
“When the Left Front held power, the government released MGNREGA wages and payments from similar schemes during this period, enabling people to celebrate festivals without financial strain. Their spending boosted local markets, driving consumption. But this time, the situation changed,” explained Chaudhury.
He said the authorities had not cleared wage payments during the period, which cast a shadow of economic sluggishness over rural areas.
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“In view of the situation, we had arranged multiple protests and mass deputations in the block offices with the demands of a minimum of 200 days of MGNREGA work in exchange for a flat wage rate of Rs 340. We didn’t create this demand. It is very much present in the BJP’s poll manifesto of 2018. The party has held power for the past seven years, yet its leaders remain silent about the promises they made before the election,” Chaudhury said.
Holding the BJP responsible for the recent attack on the Dharmanagar Party office of the principal opposition CPI(M), the senior leader said, “In order to stifle the voice of our leaders, the ruling party activists launched an unprovoked attack on our party office, making the Pahalgam terror massacre as an excuse. This is the tenth time this party office has come under attack. A senior legislator of the BJP represents Tripura Assembly from this constituency despite the fact that such sorts of unconstitutional activities are going on here.”
He also condemned the Pahalgam killing and said that the whole country is mourning the deaths of innocent tourists.
Defending his party, Chaudhury stated that Sajal Chakraborty, a party sympathiser who holds no official position, had made controversial remarks about the incident on social media. He stated that Chakraborty acted on his own, yet his comments were now being used as a pretext to target party activists, something Chaudhury described as unacceptable. He also criticized the police department for remaining silent amid the state’s deteriorating law and order situation.