CPI(M) today criticised the Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Devvarma for announcing that by-polls would be held in some TTAADC areas in July this year and said such stand was "authoritarian."
"The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), ruled by the Left Front, was formed under the sixth schedule of the Constitution. If any post is lying vacant, by-polls will have to be held. But recommendation for such election would be made by tribal council and state government will help conducting the by-polls," party MP Jiten Chowdhury said.
"The deputy chief ministers comments are authoritarian and they indicate as if the government will do everything and no elected body has any autonomy or rights," the party's Central Committee member said.
The government can act only when recommendations were made by the TTAADC, he said adding that the government had no role to act independently.
The deputy CM had told the media recently that over two thousand posts in gram panchayats and village committees were vacant since many members had resigned in large numbers.
He also said resignations were submitted in a large number in areas where allegations of corruption were found. Devvarma said government was considering to hold by-polls in those seats in July.
Chowdhury said "the Left Front representatives who were elected in the panchayats and village committees are facing threats, pressure even attacks in villages and many were forced to resign.
Chowdhury alleged that elected village committees "were made defunct" following formation of 'monitoring committees by IPFT and development committees by the BJP in the tribal council areas and added that works under MGNREGA were stopped before the February 18 Assembly elections.
A meagre amount was recently released under MGNREGA, but it could not serve the purpose of the tribals. They are still starving due to lack of jobs under the employment generation schemes. It is high time to address the problems of the indigenous people, otherwise the situation would turn worse, he added.
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