Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman alleges erosion of democratic space, says BJP is targeting Opposition parties ahead of local body polls
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, September 27, 2026
Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Sunday accused the Tripura government of failing to listen to people and alleged that Chief Minister Manik Saha was relying on bureaucratic advice rather than public concerns. His remarks came against the backdrop of an alleged obstruction and attack on former Chief Minister and CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar’s convoy in Bamutia, a day before the Village Committee elections in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.
Addressing a Congress workers’ conference at Badarghat, Mr. Roy Barman described the alleged incident involving Mr. Sarkar as “shameful” and claimed that democratic space in the State had been eroded.
“The Chief Minister does not listen to the people. He works according to what the officials tell him,” Mr. Roy Barman said, according to party leaders present at the meeting.
He also alleged that the BJP was losing public support and was therefore resorting to attacks on Opposition parties. “The BJP is losing its foothold. People do not want the BJP. That is why the BJP is attacking the Opposition,” he said.
His remarks followed allegations by the CPI(M) that Mr. Sarkar’s convoy was stopped at Kalibazar in Bamutia while he was travelling to attend a party organisational conference on Sunday morning. According to the CPI(M), a group of people blocked the road and the convoy was prevented from proceeding for nearly 40 minutes. An escort vehicle accompanying the former Chief Minister was also allegedly vandalised.
The CPI(M) has alleged that the incident was carried out by people backed by the BJP. The party has also pointed towards the alleged involvement of local BJP functionaries. These allegations have not been independently established.
Mr. Sarkar subsequently reached the venue and attended the scheduled organisational programme. The incident triggered protests by CPI(M) workers in Agartala later in the day, with the party demanding accountability over what it described as an attack on a senior Opposition leader.
Mr. Roy Barman said the incident could not be viewed in isolation from the political atmosphere in the State ahead of the Village Committee elections. “Such acts cannot stop the Congress or the CPI(M),” he said, arguing that political parties could not be prevented from conducting their programmes through intimidation.
The Congress leader also alleged that there was no rule of law in the State and used the phrase “jungle raj” to describe what he claimed was the prevailing situation. These were political assertions made at the workers’ meeting and were not independently established facts.
The allegations have added another layer to an already charged political atmosphere in Tripura. Campaigning for the Village Committee elections concluded on Saturday, with polling scheduled for Monday across the State. The elections are being held for the village committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.
The Congress, meanwhile, has begun preparations for the forthcoming municipal elections. The workers’ conference at Badarghat was organised as part of the party’s effort to strengthen its organisation at the grassroots ahead of the urban local body polls.
Mr. Roy Barman used the meeting to attack the BJP-led government on both governance and political issues. His criticism of the Chief Minister’s style of functioning came amid a wider Congress campaign against the State government and the Election Commission.
On Friday, the Tripura Pradesh Congress had organised a demonstration near the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Agartala, demanding the resignation and arrest of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. Mr. Roy Barman and Pradesh Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha were among the leaders who addressed the protest.
The Congress has also announced plans to intensify its organisational activities and take up issues that it says affect ordinary citizens, including unemployment and the concerns of government employees and other sections.
The latest confrontation comes at a politically sensitive moment for Tripura. The Village Committee elections have brought the BJP, Tipra Motha, CPI(M), Congress and other parties into an intense contest in the tribal areas. Allegations of political intimidation and clashes have surfaced during the campaign, while parties have traded charges over the conduct of the elections.
There was no immediate detailed response from the State government to Mr. Roy Barman’s allegations on Sunday. Similarly, the allegations concerning the Bamutia incident remain subject to police investigation and the accounts of the parties involved.
The incident involving Mr. Sarkar’s convoy has nevertheless become a fresh point of political confrontation between the ruling alliance and the Opposition. With voting due on Monday and the Congress already turning its attention towards the municipal elections, Mr. Roy Barman’s remarks indicate that the alleged incident is likely to remain a political issue beyond the immediate election.
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