Agartala: Leader of the Opposition in the Tripura Assembly, Jitendra Chaudhury, on Monday demanded the removal of Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma from the Manik Saha cabinet over an alleged unconstitutional and inflammatory remark against the BJP’s ally, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP).
It may be noted that the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) are junior partners in the NDA-led government in the state.
At a rally in Agartala on December 13, Debbarma reportedly warned TMP leaders and workers that he would “rip them apart like chicken” if they did not stop what he termed “hooliganism”.
Chief Minister Manik Saha, BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharjee and ministers Sushanta Chowdhury and Tinku Roy were present at the event.
Condemning the statement in a video post, Chaudhury said the minister’s remarks were “totally unconstitutional and inflammatory” and amounted to a cognisable offence.
While acknowledging that political parties may have differing views on the activities of the TMP, he said a minister could not issue such threats against any political party.
Chaudhury urged Governor N Indrasena Reddy and Chief Minister Saha to remove Debbarma from the cabinet immediately, warning that failure to do so could further vitiate the already tense political atmosphere in the state.
ALSO READ: Tripura govt to move High Court to reopen 1996 Kalyanpur massacre case
He also called upon the police to take appropriate legal action against the minister after examining the video footage of the rally.
