CPI (M) rejects DGP’s claim of crime rate decline, announces statewide agitation against VB-G RAM G

The opposition CPI (M) on Friday strongly opposed Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Dhankar’s claim that Tripura recorded an 8.33 percent decline in overall crime during 2025 compared to the previous year.

Addressing the media after an urgent meeting of the CPI(M) state secretariat held at Melarmath in Agartala, Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury alleged that the DGP’s annual press briefing was “scripted” and presented under political pressure, concealing the actual ground reality.

Chaudhury claimed that violence and lawlessness continue unabated across the state since the formation of the BJP-led government. He cited an incident on December 24, when a CPI(M) rally was allegedly attacked near the police headquarters. When party leaders attempted to lodge a complaint, the Officer-in-Charge of West Agartala Police Station, Rana Chatterjee, reportedly tried to avoid registering the case.

Highlighting further incidents, Chaudhury said miscreants recently stormed into the MLA hostel at the Capital Complex in Agartala and issued death threats to an MLA, yet no arrests have been made so far.

“The state police have completely failed to protect common citizens as well as the democratic rights of opposition parties. Despite this, they are claiming that the law and order situation has improved. The DGP was compelled to announce an 8.33 percent reduction in crime,” Chaudhury alleged.

The CPI(M) leader also strongly criticized the Union government for replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025. He said the new Act would significantly reduce funding for Gram Panchayats, which largely depended on MGNREGA for development works.

Chaudhury announced that the CPI (M) would launch a statewide campaign, reaching every household and marketplace, opposing the replacement of MGNREGA. The party will demand 200 days of guaranteed employment annually and a minimum wage of Rs 600 per day for rural workers.

He also welcomed the Tripura High Court’s recent order directing the state government to provide regular pay scales to employees appointed on fixed pay against permanent vacant posts. Chaudhury recalled that the Left Front government had introduced the fixed-pay system in 2000, but the BJP-led government, which came to power in 2018, failed to fulfil its pre-poll promise of abolishing fixed pay, daily-rated work (DRW), and contractual employment.

“The BJP’s vision document before the 2018 elections promised to abolish fixed pay and contractual appointments. I hope the BJP-led government will now implement the High Court’s order in letter and spirit,” he said.

Following a writ petition, a division bench of the Tripura High Court led by Chief Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao on Thursday set aside a single bench order and directed the state government to grant regular pay scales to all employees recruited against permanent vacant posts from the date of their appointment.