Agartala, Sept. 25: News of a possible portfolio reshuffle in the Tripura ministry has raised rumours about a dispute brewing among the Left Front partners.
A showdown between the CPM and Left Front constituent RSP is apparently on the cards over the proposed reallocation of portfolios, if sources are to be believed.
Food and civil supplies minister, Gopal Das, of the RSP, will soon be divested of his current portfolio and given a new one, a source said.
“The people of the state have suffered because of price rise, non-availability of food and other items in ration shops in rural and hilly areas and the minister has failed to set things right. So a change of guard has been decided upon.”
RSP leader D.K. Barua, however, chose to react cautiously when asked about the development.
“Gopal Das is in the ministry because of a decision taken by the Left Front and if he is to be given another portfolio, the decision must be approved by the front.”
Barua also recalled the “forced ouster” of former CPM minister Manindra Reang from the cabinet in July 2005 when the ministry was being downsized to 12.
“I know what happened at that time but do not intend to comment on it; in any case, we will definitely raise the issue in the Left Front if any such thing happens, though I must say that we are yet to hear of any such thing,” Barua said.
The other likely change in portfolio is that of chief minister Manik Sarkar himself.
The chief minister had taken charge of the higher education portfolio from ailing cabinet colleague Anil Sarkar.
The portfolio will be handed back to him, apparently to appease the veteran leader and the Scheduled Caste votebank in the run-up to the Assembly elections next year.
Sources in the CPM, however, shot down this speculation.
“The very thought that this is an attempt to appease Sarkar is totally baseless because he is indispensable to the party. What we propose to do is reduce the burden from the chief minister’s shoulders,” sources said.
The chief minister had taken over charge from Anil Sarkar when he was recuperating from a massive bypass surgery last year.
In 2005, he had been divested of the portfolio of school education and he never took the loss of portfolios kindly.
