At A Glance:
- Jitendra Choudhary today called the restraint on TTAADC officials’ salary payment by High Court (HC) “unprecedented” and “rarest of rare”.
- He blamed the Tipra Motha-led ADC administration for the alleged non-payment of retiral dues to hundreds of pensioners.
- He also questioned the functioning of village committees and the Tipra Motha-BJP political arrangement.
CPIM State Secretary of Tripura, Jitendra Choudhary has described the restraint on salary payment by Tripura High Court (HC) to top officials of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) as “unprecedented” and among the “rarest of rare” instances in the history of Indian administration.
Reacting to the High Court’s interim order, the Opposition leader said it was extraordinary that the court had been compelled to take such stern action against the ADC authorities.
‘Unprecedented’ action by High Court
“This is not only unprecedented, but one of the rarest of rare cases in the history of Indian administration,” he said in Agartala today while reacting to the court’s decision.
The High Court has restrained salary payment to senior TTAADC officials in connection with the issue of non-payment of retiral dues.
The Opposition leader said the action should not be viewed merely as an issue involving individual officials or bureaucrats.
He argued that the circumstances leading to the court’s intervention pointed to a broader administrative failure within the autonomous council.
The Opposition leader also stressed that the responsibility could not be placed solely on the bureaucratic machinery.
‘It is not the fault of bureaucrats alone’
“I would say it is not the fault of the DC bureaucrats alone,” he said.
The Opposition leader blamed the Tipra Motha-led administration of the ADC for the situation. He alleged that hundreds of pensioners had been deprived of their financial dues.
“It is the fault of the Tipra Motha, who are administering or running this council by depriving hundreds of pensioners and not giving them their financial dues,” he said.
According to him, the issue of unpaid retiral dues raises serious questions about the functioning of the ADC administration and its responsibility towards retired employees.
He said the High Court’s intervention should therefore be seen as a serious warning about administrative accountability.
Jitendra Choudhary raises village committee issue
The Opposition leader also widened his criticism to the functioning of village committees under the ADC.
He alleged that Tipra Motha had used its political and organisational strength to gain control over several hundred village committees without elections and without allowing other political parties to contest.
He questioned what could happen if such a situation continued at the grassroots level of the ADC administration.
“If this Motha, by using their muscle power, have grabbed control of some couple of hundreds of village committees without having any election, without allowing the other political parties to contest in the election, then what will happen to that?” he asked.
The Opposition leader warned that the alleged manner of functioning could create the conditions for similar administrative problems in the future.
Warning over ADC administration
The Opposition leader said village committees form the lowest level of the ADC administration.
He expressed concern that developments at this level could eventually lead to problems similar to those currently facing the council.
He argued that the present controversy should prompt people to consider the consequences of political control over grassroots institutions.
His criticism was not limited to the immediate issue of salary payment. He linked the High Court’s intervention to what he described as a wider pattern of administrative and political functioning within the ADC.
BJP-Tipra Motha collaboration questioned
The Opposition leader also targeted the political relationship between Tipra Motha and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He alleged that the two parties were working in collaboration and questioned the impact of their political arrangement on the future of the ADC areas and their indigenous population.
“Please think over to which extent Tipra Motha, in collaboration with the Bharatiya Janata Party, are dragging the future of the territorial areas and the indigenous population in the coming future,” he said.
The Opposition leader’s reaction came after the Tripura High Court restrained salary payment to top TTAADC officials over the issue of non-payment of retiral dues.
The court’s action remains an interim restraint. It does not amount to a final judgment or a final finding against the officials or the ADC authorities.
For the Opposition leader, however, the development has raised broader questions about administrative accountability, pensioners’ financial rights and the functioning of grassroots institutions under the autonomous council.
