THE inaugural session of the Tripura assembly for the current year commenced with the governor's speech on January 5 and extended until January 11, 2024. While some less critical matters were on the agenda, the primary focus was on the presentation and adoption of the governor's speech. During the debate on the governor's speech, the opposition, particularly the CPI(M) legislators, scrutinised the government's stance on various significant issues.

On January 8, Jitendra Chaudhury, leader of the CPI(M) legislature group, highlighted the shortcomings of the so-called double-engine government while discussing the governor's speech.

Unemployment: The national urban unemployment rate for 2022-23 stood at 8.41 per cent, while in Tripura, it reached 14.72 per cent. Ironically, the BJP came to power with the misleading pledge of creating 50,000 government jobs annually, with priority promised to those who registered by giving a missed call to a specific mobile number.

Poverty: The people, especially in rural and tribal regions, is enduring severe hardships due to a lack of food and employment opportunities. MGNREGA work has nearly come to a standstill. The meagre number of workdays offered during the Sharad festival period has not resulted in timely wage payments in many locations. Regrettably, three mothers (two from Scheduled Tribes and one from Scheduled Castes) were forced to sell their newborn babies, fearing their inability to provide for them and raise their children amidst poverty.

Appalling Law and order: Widespread poverty and the prevalence of drug addiction among a significant portion of the state's youth manifest in an alarming manner within the criminal records. Quoting the Home Department's response to a query, Jitendra Chaudhury revealed the grim reality of the law and order situation in the state. From January 1, 2021, to August 31, 2023, spanning 32 months, the recorded incidents included 389 murders, 62 cases of bride killing, 280 kidnappings, 1889 suicides, 1682 crimes against women, 422 instances of rape and murder after rape, and 3632 unnatural deaths in the state. Out of the total 14,903,7427 cybercrimes in the country, Tripura accounted for 1,295,8570, representing 8.70 per cent of the national record.

Public loan: The BJP vociferously claimed that they would achieve financial self-reliance for the state, eliminating the need for central assistance. However, the reality indicates that they are plunging the state into a debt trap. Upon assuming power in 2018, the state's total debt, accumulated since 1948, stood at Rs. 12,902.73 crore. Within six years, this public debt escalated to Rs 21,687.07 crore, imposing an annual interest payment of Rs 1373.52 crore on the state. The utilization of this substantial public debt remains undisclosed to the public.

MGNREGA: In the 'Vision Document,' the BJP pledged to offer 200 man-days of work annually to each MGNREGA worker at a rate of Rs 300 per day. However, during the tenure of the BJP regime, workers are receiving scant employment, with hardly more than 30 days of work, and wage payments remain pending for several months. Under the Left Front government in 2015-16 and 2016-17, workers were provided with 94 and 80 man-days, respectively. The Tripura Urban Employment Programme (TUEP), initiated by the Left Front Government to provide employment to the marginalised sections of urban areas, is now nearly abandoned. In rural areas, the absence of MGNREGA work has exacerbated the unemployment rate significantly.

Scarcity of staff in Government Departments: Nearly all government departments, including those handling critical public services such as health, education, power, fire services, agriculture, and public works, are grappling with severe staff shortages. Numerous schools, particularly in tribal areas, remain without teachers for extended periods or operate with just one teacher. What was once a state with a surplus in power generation is now plagued by frequent load-shedding due to a scarcity of maintenance personnel. Hospitals are operating with about half of the necessary staff, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics. Each year, positions left vacant due to retirements are not being filled, and currently, the total number of vacant posts in government departments, as per assembly records, exceeds 40,000.

Procurement of paddy: The government's procurement of paddy has turned into a ludicrous affair, despite the extensive media hype surrounding it. Official records reveal that producers are reluctant to sell their produce to government counters because the fixed procurement rate is already prevalent in the open market, and it falls significantly below the proposed rate of the Swaminathan Commission. On average, the government has been able to procure no more than 1.5 per cent of the state's paddy production.
In summarising the response on governor's speech, Jitendra Chaudhury stated that it utterly failed to accurately depict the real situation in the state. The governor's speech omitted mention of the severe law and order situation, the thriving narcotics trade, and human trafficking. Instead, it is replete with falsehoods, misleading information, and serves as a document for mere eyewash. Chaudhury opposed the speech and supported the amendments proposed by the opposition.
On January 10, the entire opposition, including CPI(M), Congress, and Tipra Motha, staged a walkout from the assembly. This move was prompted by the government's refusal to accede to the opposition's demand to send the proposed bill for the establishment of a new open university to the select committee for thorough examination.