Congress demands removal of Tribal Welfare minister, urges Governor to initiate probe into alleged corruption

The opposition Congress on Thursday has urged the Tripura Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu to remove Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma and initiate an investigation over his alleged ‘disproportionate asset’.

A  six members delegation of Tripura Pradesh Congress led by PCC president Ashish Kumar Saha, MLA Gopal Chandra Roy, former PCC president Pijush Kanti Biswas, tribal leaders Sabda Kumar Jamatia, Ashok Debbarma and Monmohan Reang met the Governor during a deputation and submitted a memorandum in support of their demands on Thursday.

The demand follows allegations of corruption and the submission of a false affidavit to the Election Commission of India (ECI).After their deputation with the Governor, PCC president Ashish Kumar Saha speaking with media persons said that the Governor should immediately removed Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma and called for a proper investigation into his alleged corrupt practices, including submitting a false affidavit to the Election Commission of India (ECI).

In the memorandum, the party stated that Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, a member of the Congress Working Committee (CWC), flagged apprehensions  about corruption in a Rs 1,400 crore World Bank-funded project aimed at the socioeconomic development of tribal communities.

“The project was designed to be implemented through the Tribal Welfare department but a society was formed under the nomenclature 'TRESP' for implementation. During discussion on the issue in the just concluded Assembly Session, the Congress leader obliquely alleged that Tribal Affairs Minister Bikash Debbarma had amassed wealth for himself and his family members in a period of over one year since he started serving as a minister”, the memorandum reads.

It further reads that the alleged assets of the minister listed by the Congress leader include a 3-BHK apartment in Mahavir Enclave in New Delhi, an under-construction house in Lambucherra near Agartala, petrol pump registered under his son's name, property at the foot-hills of Baramura near Champaknagar under Khowai District where massive construction going on, and other properties.

“In his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission, he had declared himself as a social worker and stated that he only had assets worth 56 lakh. In the affidavit the minister mentioned an amount of Rs 8,67,000 thousands he had taken as loan from various banks and the Minister's spouse is listed as a housewife in the affidavit”, it reads.

Congress leaders also pointed out that Bikash Debbarma acquired these assets within 1.5 years of becoming the minister.

“Minister Bikash Debbarma had addressed a press Conference on 14th September 2024 and proclaimed himself as a zamindar, agreed to having flat in Delhi, under- construction house in Lembucherra near Agartala, Nandanagar, Teliamura, but during Election the minister didn't show these assets. It is clearly proved that minister Bikash Debbarma has lied to the Election Commission by giving a false Affidavit. So We Tripura Pradesh Congress demand not only sacking of Bikash Debbarma from the Ministry by the Council of Ministers but also his MLA ship also be dismissed by the Election Commission”, the memorandum  added.