Tripura opposition continues boycott of chief minister
By IANSMonday, June 14, 2010
AGARTALA - Opposition legislators in Tripura twice walked out of the state assembly Monday as part of their boycott of Chief Minister Manik Sarkar over his remarks on the alleged links between terror groups and political parties.
The opposition Congress and its ally, the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) left the house twice as soon as Sarkar stood up to reply on some issues raised by the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and other treasury bench legislators.
“We shall continue to boycott the chief minister until he withdraws his comments or apologises for his baseless, unfounded and false allegation against the party (Congress),” Congress leader Gopal Roy told reporters after walking out of the house on the second day of the three-week-long budget session.
During a state assembly debate in December over militancy in the state, Sarkar, who also holds the home portfolio, had said: “The regional party - INPT - has a link with militant outfits. The Congress has a political alliance with the INPT. Therefore, the separatist outfits are getting indirect support from the main opposition party (Congress).”
The Congress and the INPT have been boycotting the chief minister since Dec 16. They have also refused to share the dais with him for any government or non-government programme across the state.
Terming Sarkar’s comments “irresponsible and childish”, Roy said: “The Congress wants peace and development in the northeastern state. Such type of provocative remarks would only disturb the peace and ethnic unity.”
Meanwhile, opposition members led by Leader of the Opposition Ratan Lal Nath walked out from the house for the third time in the afternoon after blaming Deputy Speaker Bhanulal Saha for not allowing the opposition to discuss the “corruption at various levels and misrule of the Left Front government” in the house.
“You are getting more than enough scope to speak in the house as per rules and procedure of the assembly,” Saha told the agitated lawmakers.
