Agartala: The fifth day of the Tripura Legislative Assembly’s Budget session commenced on Thursday, March 27, without the presence of the Principal Opposition party, CPI-M. This development escalated the ongoing political confrontation that began earlier in the week.
Tensions reached a boiling point on Wednesday when the opposition party accused Assembly Speaker Biswabandhu Sen of procedural misconduct. The dispute originated from a rejected privilege motion related to an alleged racial slur by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath against Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury.
The Speaker’s decision to prioritise the minister’s filing over the opposition’s motion sparked protests from CPI-M members, who subsequently walked out of the House. Chaudhury later described the incident as the “darkest chapter” in the Assembly’s legislative history.
In an attempt to defuse the situation, Chief Minister Manik Saha appealed to CPI-M to return to the legislative proceedings. However, the opposition remains steadfast in its boycott, with the party announcing its decision to boycott the remaining days of the Budget session.
The Budget session, which began on March 21, is set to continue until April 1. The ongoing boycott by CPI-M is likely to impact the proceedings, with the opposition party insisting that the Speaker’s actions were biased and undermined democratic traditions.
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