Agartala, May 28: In a new twist to Tripura’s turbulent tribal politics, the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) has demanded the immediate arrest of Hirendra Kumar Tripura, chief executive member of the autonomous district council (ADC).
The CEM has been accused of defrauding 4,000 youths in the state of a total sum of Rs 8 crore by falsely promising them jobs.
Tripura, a former chairman of the ADC and leader of the INPT, had gone in for largescale bamboo cultivation in the state under the aegis of his non-government organisation, the North East Indian Plantation Corporation two years back.
He had promised jobs to more than 4,000 tribal and non-tribal youths and collected more than Rs 8 crores from them. None of the youths got any jobs and the activities of the NGO also remain shrouded in mystery.
The allegations had been levelled within the INPT last year and the party leadership was planning to take action against Hirendra Kumar Tripura.
Getting wind of the storm that was brewing, Tripura pulled off a coup of sorts. Defecting from the INPT with six other followers in July last year, he captured the ADC with the CPM’s support.
The allegations of fraud against Tripura, however, persist. Recently, at least 400 youths who had been duped organised a procession in Agartala, demanding refund of their money or arrest of Hirendra Tripura.
Addressing a news conference here yesterday, INPT general secretary Rabindra Debbarma demanded Tripura’s immediate arrest and an investigation into the scam in which he was involved.
Debbarma accused the ruling Left Front of protecting the corrupt chief executive member of the ADC. He warned that unless action was taken against Tripura, his party would launch a statewide agitation.
“We have all the documentary evidence required to prosecute Tripura in court. Unless the state government proceeds with the investigation, we will take action on behalf of the duped youths,” Debbarma said.
Debbarma, who was accompanied by party president Bijay Kumar Hrangkhawl at the news conference, also said 237 tribals have died of enteric diseases over the past three months. More than 93,000 people have been afflicted in Chhawamanu and Chhailengta areas in Dhalai district and interior areas of Khowai subdivision in West Tripura district, he claimed.
Holding the state government responsible for the epidemic, Debbarma said if action had been taken by the government, the spread of the disease could have been checked.
Debbarma said his party had congratulated Manmohan Singh on his assumption of office as Prime Minister but asserted that the INPT would continue to be a partner of the National Democratic Alliance.
“We are going to fight the panchayat polls as part of the NDA and very soon I will convene a meeting in my capacity as NDA convener here,” Debbarma said. He demanded that village committee elections in ADC areas, beyond the purview of the Panchayati Raj Act, be held immediately.
He added that as part of the organisational programme finalised recently by the INPT’s central executive committee, party workers would start visiting villages to mobilise people.
An INPT delegation will visit New Delhi soon to hold discussions with the new Union home minister over the ADC.
