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The BJP Tuesday launched a scathing attack at the tribal council’s ruling TIPRA Motha party, claiming that the latter was involved in corruption.
Speaking to reporters at the BJP state headquarters Tuesday evening, Tripura BJP vice president and Lok Sabha MP Rebati Tripura said the TIPRA Motha, which has been running the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC) since last year, has failed to deliver on its promises.
He said ample funds were provided to the tribal council but the ADC administration failed to utilise the funds and could not furnish utilisation certificates to the authorities concerned.
His comments were in stark contrast to the allegations levelled by TIPRA Motha leader and Tripura ADC’s deputy chief executive Animesh Debbarma, who recently said the BJP-led state government was depriving the tribal council through a financial blockade.
“Pradyot promised many things… The common people of the ADC thought achhe din (good days) would come for tribals in the council. Pradyot promised good governance, Tiprasa rights, and Greater Tipraland, a proposed separate state which would supposedly solve the problems of tribals of the state. But 1.5 years after coming to power, the picture in the ADC is one of concern…” Rebati said.
Citing a letter of comptroller and auditor general (CAG) Girish Chandra Murmu dated June 1 this year, the MP said the CAG had complained in the letter to Governor SN Arya that the Tripura ADC was not working as per Constitutional provisions and did not have financial discipline.
“Union and state government schemes are running without utilisation certificates, accounts aren’t maintained. The CAG wrote about this to the Governor and urged him to take action. The Governor’s deputy secretary wrote to the chief secretary about it, who, in turn, wrote to the chief executive officer of the ADC.
“One-and-a-half years after they came to power, they are still not maintaining proper accounts or utilisation certificates,” the Tripura MP said.
He said ever since the BJP came to power in Tripura, the state government took a series of steps to help the ADC administration, including efforts to financially strengthen the tribal council by providing funds through the Niti Aayog under provisions of the 15th Finance Commission and a Rs 13,000-crore package for development works in tribal areas. However, the ADC administration, Rebati claimed, failed to submit proper budgetary outlay proposals for the projects, owing to which the funds could not be utilised.
The parliamentarian also alleged that all executive members and zonal chairpersons in the tribal council were involved in financial misappropriation and added that the BJP wanted a “proper investigation” of the issue.
“Motha’s reality is corruption and betrayal of tribals in the name of thansa. We shall submit a deputation addressed to the Governor through sub-zonal officers at 44 locations in the state… We shall submit similar deputations to zonal officials if no action is taken and shall even knock on the doors of the Raj Bhawan itself if needed,” the Lok Sabha MP said.
In response to the BJP’s allegations, Motha leader Pradyot Kishore told indianexpress.com that for 1.5 years since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the ADC functioned under an administrator appointed by the Governor.
Formed in 1982, the Tripura ADC is spread across nearly 70 per cent of the state and houses one-third of the state’s population from 19 tribal communities.
The tribal council, which was ruled by the Left Front for three previous terms, saw TIPRA Motha sweep the elections last year, reducing the Left alliance to zero seats. Notably, the tribal party was formed just two months before the council went to the polls.
