Mizoram CM Zoramthanga’s brother among 6 sentenced to 1 year in prison for fraud

The Six people, including Mizoram Chief Minister  Zoramthang’s brother, convicted in connection  with bogus compensation receipts for land acquired for a hydroelectric power plant were sentenced to one year’s imprisonment. The Special court (prevention of Corruption Act) in Aizawl also fined them Rs 20 lakh each and sent them to the central jail.

The Six are C Vanlalchhuana, the younger brother of Zoramthanga, Saiaithanga, C Rokhumi, Lalduhawma and PC Lalthazovi and Klalrawna. The six were sentenced under IPC Section 420 and 120B to undergo one year of imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10 lakh each and also under IPC Section 467, 468,471 and  120B to undergo a year’s imprisonment with a fine of Rs 10 lakh each.

They were found guilty of receiving compensation in a conspiracy involving falsifying land passes, making fake village council land passes and cheating the authorities. they received compensation running into lakhs in connection with acquisition of lands submerged due to construction of the 60MW Tuirial hydroelectric project undertaken by Northeast Electric Corporation Ltd, the Judge said.   

 

Meet Tripura’s ‘kingmaker’: Pradyot Manikya Debbarma vows to ‘change’ the politics of Northeast

TIPRA Motha is contesting 42 of 60 Assembly seats and has turned down alliance offers from both the ruling BJP or the Opposition Left-Congress alliance

As chairman of the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (or TIPRA Motha), Tripura’s royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma seems to be holding more cards up his sleeve in determining the political fate of his state than what he is willing to show now when the state elections are knocking at the door.

The state’s ruling dispensation, the BJP, looks desperate to hold on to its turf amid a perceived anti-incumbency wave hitting the party inside just a single term in power. The Opposition is hoping that the BJP’s damage control measures, like the mid-term removal of its sitting chief minister Biplab Deb and replacing him by then state unit president Manik Saha, may fail to cut ice with the electorate. The seat-sharing arrangement between the Left and Congress has only added to the challenge of Saha in steering his party through to a second term. And, of course, there is the Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamul Congress factor which reserves the potential to spring up a few surprises.

Tripura goes to polls on February 16. And Debbarma and the TIPRA Motha are critically poised, hoping to turn the tables once results are announced on March 2. No wonder the former royal is already being referred to as prospective “kingmaker”. In less than two years of its existence, the Motha registered a stunning win in 18 of the 28 seats in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) polls held in April 2021 routing the Left, the Congress and the well-established Indigenous People’s Party of Tripura (IPFT). The BJP was restricted to only nine seats.

The Motha is currently contesting in 42 out of the 60 Assembly seats and has turned down alliance offers from both the ruling BJP or the  Opposition Left-Congress alliance. Once a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and the party’s state chief, Debbarma walked out of the Congress after a public showdown with its central leadership in September 2019 when he accused the party of turning a blind eye to Tripura’s real concerns and switched over to forming his party that currently holds sway over the state’s tribal belt.

Motha as a ‘movement’

Debbarma prefers to call the Motha a “movement” rather than a party. “We are trying to unite not just tribals but all communities to understand that there is a genuine problem in 70 per cent of Tripura and beyond as well. I was a politician when I was in the Congress, now I am a leader of a movement. I resigned from Congress since I felt suffocated there. Now, we will do something which will safeguard the next generation as well,” he said.

Debbarma rubbished Opposition claims that his demand for a separate state of “Greater Tipraland” is unrealistic because it entails annexing parts of Assam and, even, Bangladesh. “This is red herring led by the Opposition,” he says, adding that as an “educated person” he would never come up with something as silly.

“Our demand for greater Tipraland is very much within the boundaries of Tripura. It also includes the 36 villages which are kept outside the Autonomous District Council and may be some other parts of Tripura so that you can have a contiguous area of self governance and rule. Nobody wants an inch of Assam. Mizoram and Arunachal, I think, want an inch of Assam. Meghalaya wants a pie of Assam. Not me. This is not a demand similar to that of the Nagas who want parts of Manipur and Burma. I have educated people in my party and I would never say something that goes beyond the boundaries of our Constitution,” he asserted.

The tribal-Bengali relationship

The relationship between Tripura’s tribal communities, the original residents of the region, and the Bengalis, later settlers in the area from historical influxes who eventually came to dominate the demography and convert Tripura into a Bengali-majority state, has remained problematic. Debbarma maintains that the solution to the tribal-Bengali relationship issue lies in the proposed realm of Greater Tipraland.

“I think both the tribals and Bengalis have been given a short hand by the Government of India at various stages and I think both need to realize that they are not each other’s enemies. But there are forces from outside who are trying to divide us so that we don’t talk about issues which have actually hurt all of us. The people of Tripura have accommodated, and rightfully so, many Bengalis because of what happened in the Bangladesh war and the riots and persecutions in East Pakistan.

“Why is the Centre also not asking the other states of North East like Mizoram, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Manipur, which have not taken in a single persecuted minority. Fact is that there has been a historical imbalance and we want to protect the rights of the Bengalis in the state of Tripura and in the realm of Greater Tipraland. But we also want to further empower the tribals. Bengalis are free to stay there as equal citizens with equal powers.”

Is this sab ka sath sab ka vikas?

Debbarma’s pitch is that he wants to change the way things have been run in the state. “ADC is 70 per cent of the state, it comprises 35 per cent of the state’s population. Yet we get just 2 per cent of the budget. Is this ‘sab ka sath sabka vikas?’,” Debbarma asked while denying Opposition claims that he was trying a wedge between tribals and Bengalis.

Asked why he rejected a pre-poll larger alliance against the BJP, the leader said: “My fight is to achieve something for the people and not score a point and look good in front of the national media. We will win the elections on our own strength. We are fighting in 42 seats and we will cross 31 on our own. It’s the CPM, BJP and Congress who are unsure. That’s why they are fighting in alliance with either the IPFT or in alliance with each other.”

Responding to home minister Amit Shah’s statement that the Motha has “cut a secret under-the-table deal with the Left”, Debbarma said: “Amit Shah should check his own backyard. BJP is fighting in 20 seats in Nagaland but yet it has already claimed that it will form the next government. There’s no way they will win more than 2-3 seats in Meghalaya but they are already saying they will form a government there. They do the same secret understanding thing in Tamil Nadu with AIADMK and in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena. Amit Shah should realize that we are not in the habit of creating B-teams.”

When BJP wanted a deal

Debabarma countered Shah’s statement by asking why the were invited to Delhi for talks. “They did it because they know we are not in alliance with any party. Himanta Biswa Sarma met us in Guwahati. They were willing to strike a deal. But we said we wanted things in writing and we wanted transparency.”

“We wanted in writing a Constitutional solution to the demand for greater Tipraland under Articles 2 and 3. And if they have a better idea they can offer it to us. They said they have a better point of view. We said fine, whatever you have please give it to us in writing, but they refused. They did the same thing with IPFT in 2018 and look at what happened to IPFT. Credibility in public life matters a lot to me,” he explained, adding: “You cannot gain credibility by betraying and selling your people by saying something before the election and compromising and selling your people’s hopes and aspirations at the last moment in Delhi. I am answerable to my people and I cannot betray them unless I get a commitment in writing. That’s how the Motha differentiates itself from the IPFT.”

So up ahead in Tripura’s political timeline, will Pradyot Manikya Debbarma emerge as a kingmaker or the king himself? “I am a person who is sincerely trying to change politics, the way it is done in the North East. Kingmaker or no kingmaker, one thing that the rest of India should appreciate is that this is one regional party which has not gone with the central government since 2014. I think that itself is an achievement… we have held on to our morality” the former prince said, not entirely rejecting the possibility of a hung Assembly in Tripura after the results.

“I am already a Bubagra which means king in Kokborok language. That’s far bigger and far more permanent. I’ve got more love as a Bubagra than I would ever get as a politician. And I think I am very happy with what I have,” the royal scion said.

TMC only party that can oust double engine govt: Mamata in Tripura

Democracy is in a bad shape in the state, and our leaders and members became subjects of torture for protesting against misdeeds, says Bengal CM

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted that hers is the only party that can oust the double engine government of the BJP, and provide the people of the country with an alternative to the saffron camp.

Addressing a public rally here, she claimed that democracy has taken a backseat in Tripura under the BJP rule, as “parties were not allowed to organise political meetings, and journalists lost their right to gather news”.

“Two years ago, our party leaders and activists were attacked, their vehicles vandalized. Some of them were illegally put behind the bars. Democracy is in a bad shape in the state, and our leaders and members became subjects of torture for protesting against misdeeds,” she stated.

 

West Bangal Chief Minister  Mamata Banerjee Addressing a Public Rally in  Tripura 

In an oblique reference to the BJP, Banerjee also said that the party which cannot guarantee 100 days’ work to people has no right to ask for vote.

“The TMC is the only party which would oust the double engine government from the country and provide an alternative to people,” she maintained.

The TMC boss also stated that people in Tripura will “reject” the CPI(M)-Congress alliance, much like what had happened in Bengal.

She gave assurance that her party, if voted to power, will introduce development schemes that are currently available in Bengal, such as Lakshmir Bhandar and Kanyashree.

 

Tripura: BJP’s Rajnath, Yogi to hold rallies today

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will also hold a road show in the northeastern state

Senior BJP leaders Rajnath Singh and Yogi Adityanath will address two election rallies each in Tripura on Tuesday.

West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee will also hold a road show in the northeastern state where elections to the 60-member assembly will be held on February 16.

During the day, Singh, the country’s defence minister, will address two rallies of the ruling BJP at Kailashahar in Unakoti district and at Badarghat in West Tripura.

Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, will also hold two rallies at Bagabassa in North Tripura district and at Kalyanpur in Khowai.

Banerjee’s roadshow is scheduled to begin at noon in the state capital Agartala.

Security arrangements have been tightened in the northeastern state in view of the scheduled visit of the political leaders.

Notably, Union Home Minister and Senior BJP leader Amit Shah had on Monday held two rallies and a road show in the poll-bound Tripura.

Shah had alleged that Tipra Motha has a “secret understanding” with the Congress and the CPI(M), and that the newly formed regional party was “trying to bring back Communist rule in the state by misleading indigenous people”. 

Civil services exam: Arunachal cabinet increases upper age limit for general candidates to 35

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu

The Arunachal Pradesh Cabinet has approved to increase the upper age limit for state civil service examination for general candidates to 35 and scheduled tribes to 40, an official statement said.

The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday.

The cabinet approved the amendments in Rule 3 of Arunachal Civil Services and Civil Posts (Upper Age Limit for Direct Recruitment) Rules, according to which, the upper age limit for state civil service examination will be 35 years for general and 40 years for APST candidates. The proposed upper age limit shall also be applicable, as a one-time relaxation to all those candidates who have applied for direct recruitment examinations but the examinations have been cancelled or postponed by the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) during 2022 due to administrative reasons, an official communique said here on Sunday.

This benefit will be given to the aspirants with effect from the closing date for receipt of applications against advertisements made by the APPSC for respective examinations.

Khandu had on November 22, last year announced that the upper age limit for APPSC exams will be enhanced by three years.

The current age limit for direct recruitment for civil services and civil posts in the state government is 32 years, with 5 years age relaxation to APST candidates. However, the Cabinet maintained that there will be no change in upper age limit for direct recruitment to the post of Assistant Professor, currently 37 years (42 years for APST).

With a vision to make Arunachal Pradesh a sporting powerhouse, the Cabinet also approved creation of 30 new posts in the Sports and Youth Affairs department, the communique said.

The created posts include 20 posts of District Sports Officers (DSO).

This move will strengthen the sports department and enable it to work for sports and sportspersons more efficiently, the communique said. 

Tripura polls: CPI(M) releases manifesto, promises 2.5 lakh new jobs, old pension scheme

“Left Front convener Narayan Kar alleged that democracy was throttled in Tripura after the BJP came to power in 2018”

The opposition CPI(M)-led Left Front in Tripura on Friday unveiled its manifesto for the assembly polls, promising 2.5 lakh new jobs, pension to poor senior citizens, and reintroduction of the old pension scheme and two DA hikes for government employees every year if it is voted to power.

In the 15-page manifesto, it also promised the reinstatement of 10,323 retrenched teachers, regularisation of services of contractual employees and more autonomy to the tribal council.

Addressing a press conference, Left Front convener Narayan Kar alleged that democracy was throttled in Tripura after the BJP came to power in 2018.

“Voting rights of people have been snatched away under the BJP-IPFT regime, while people’s liberty to raise their voice has been lost. The Left Front will restore the democratic values once it wins the elections,” he said.

“We will create 2.5 lakh jobs during the next five years if the Left Front secures the blessing of the people,” he said, adding that contractual employees will also be regularised as per the guidelines.

Any person whose age is over 60 years and has an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh will get social pension, Kar said.

Representational image

The Left Front will also increase the dearness allowance (DA) of government employees twice a year based on the consumer price index and reintroduce the old pension scheme, he said.

Tripura has 1,88,494 government employees and pensioners.

The Left Front also promised 200-day work per year to the poor to boost the rural economy.

Kar said the Left Front will provide high level of autonomy for the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

Asserting that the Left Front is committed to providing a corruption-free and people-friendly government, he said a common minimum programme of its alliance with the Congress will be released soon.

The CPI(M) will contest in 43 seats alone while other Left Front constituents — the Forward Bloc, RSP and the CPI — will be contesting in one seat each. The Left Front is supporting an independent candidate in the Ramnagar constituency in West Tripura. The Congress is fighting 13 seats as per the seat-sharing agreement.

The voting for the 60-member assembly will be held on February 16 and counting will take place on March 2.

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