Happiness and joy prevailed in the saffron camp after the Tripura Government announced an additional 12 per cent DA/DR to State government employees and over 50 per cent hike in remuneration of DRWs, MRWs and part time/contingent staff on Tuesday (December 27). However, the mood, as expected, was strikingly different among the Opposition party leaders as the downplayed the announcement.  

 

Tripura Pradesh BJP State president Rajib Bhattacharjee hailed the decision and congratulated the BJP-led State Government. Other leaders including Rajya Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb praised the initiative and congratulated the Government.   

 

Members of Vivekananda Vichar Manch and similar other employees’ bodies also hailed the decision of the State government.

 

However, Opposition parties including Tripura units of CPIM, Congress and TMC party downplayed the 12%  DA hike and said that the sudden DA hike in the face of the election is not a big deal as it does not fulfill the expectations and requirements of the State Government employees.

 

Reacting to the announcement, the CPM state secretary Jitendra Choudhury said, “The announcement of 12% DA is not a big deal”.

 

“We have seen prior to the 2018 assembly election, the then finance minister late Arun Jaitley came to Tripura before the election to announce that there was no hurdle to implement the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) in Tripura,” he told reporters.

 

He said, “The announcement of 12% DA was just a small attempt from the BJP’s end to get rid of their sin that they committed during the last five years.”

 

On the other hand, the opposition Trinamool Congress Party state president Pijush Kanti Biswas said, “The announcement of 12% DA will not fulfil the requirements and demands of the employees of this state as they want the implementation of the 7th CPC.”

 

“The 12% DA for the employees and pensioners is nothing in the face of the serious price hike including prices of essential commodities. Additional 12% DA will not help to enhance the livelihood of the people of this state,” he said.

 

Opposition parties strategy to downplay the decision is understandable – the decision will directly benefit around 1 lakh 4 thousand 600 employees. Weeks before the announcement of the Assembly poll schedule, the announcement has a lot of significance as Government employees and other staffs like DRWs, MRWs etc play a crucial role in the election.