Agartala, July 15: Day after the ruling BJP and the state power minster Ratan Lal Nath slammed the opposition CPI(M) over misleading the people of the state about the power tarrif plan of the government, the CPI(M) Politburo member Jitendra Choudhury on Tuesday launched a sharp critique of the BJP-led Tripura government over recent hikes in electricity and water tariffs, accusing it of worsening the economic burden on the common people.
The party has also announced plans to join hands with other organisations for a state-wide protest movement in the coming days.
Addressing a press conference here in the party headquarter on Tuesday, the Politburo member and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chowdhury expressed strong disapproval of the tariff increases, calling them part of a broader series of “anti-people” policies pursued by the ruling government.
“First they raised electricity charges, now water tariffs. This government is draining the pockets of ordinary people through one hike after another,” Chowdhury told reporters.
Criticizing the condition of the power sector under the BJP, Chowdhury recalled that Tripura once had a reputation for supplying electricity not only across the state but also to neighbouring regions.
He said, “That legacy has been wiped out. Frequent outages are now common, and even light rainfall plunges many areas into darkness for days. Yet instead of fixing this, the government is focused on collecting higher tariffs.”
Taking a swipe at the state government’s public relations efforts, Chowdhury said that crores are being spent on promotional campaigns to paint Tripura as a “model state”, while the ground reality continues to deteriorate.
He also criticised Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath for addressing the smart meter issue from the BJP party office instead of speaking on behalf of the government department.
“Using a party platform to speak about a public service crisis clearly shows the politicisation of governance. It was less about solutions and more about defending failures,” Chowdhury said.
The CPI(M) leader also raised concerns over the government’s smart meter project, alleging that it is part of a larger agenda to privatise the power sector — a move he claimed would further harm public interest.
“This smart meter initiative isn’t about efficiency. It’s a backdoor attempt to hand over the sector to private entities,” he warned.
Calling on the people of Tripura to raise their voices, Chowdhury urged collective resistance against what he described as a “continuous attack on livelihoods”. The CPI(M) said it will intensify its agitation in collaboration with like-minded parties and organisations to oppose the tariff hikes and demand accountability from the state government.
