Homeless outgoing Tripura CM Manik Sarkar moves to party office

Agartala: The homeless outgoing chief minister of Tripura Manik Sarkar today shifted to CPI-M party office at Melarmath area with his wife, a retired central government employee Panchali Bhattacharjee.Sarkar was 4th term chief minister of Tripura, tagged as poorest chief minister, who won his seat from Dhanpur but refused to stay in MLA hostel. He preferred to shift in a two-room accommodation at the top floor of the office.

Sarkar has donated his parental property to his sister long back but did not possess any land. He is said to have a movable property of Rs 12.19 lakh and immovable property of Rs 21 lakh. His wife has landed into a controversy over constructing a flat on her ancestral property in the city which is yet to be completed.Earlier, also former chief minister Manik Sarkar and deputy chief minister Baidyanath Majumdar had been staying in the party office for long, as they did not have property in the city.

Manik Sarkar also preferred to follow the suit of his predecessors and mentors, said CPI-M state secretary Bijan Dhar.“The party office has basic minimum amenities what actually Sarkar likes. Despite having close relatives in the city, he prefers to stay here and contribute more for the party. This is nothing exceptional for any communist leader. Most of our leaders are leading same life-style,” Dhar said.However, Sarkar declined to make any comment on the issue.

Former PWD minister Badal Choudhury, former finance minister Bhanu Lal Saha, former social welfare minister Bijita Nath and former minority welfare minister Sahid Choudhury and former speaker Ramendra Chandra Nath are moving to MLA hostel. However, former education minister Tapan Chakraborty, who won the election this time, is shifting to his flat in capital complex area.Three ministers have decided to move back to their respective villages. 

The former urban development, transport and power minister Manik Dey who hails from Jirania, has donated his parental property among brothers but now he is going there only. Former forest minister Naresh Jamatia and jail minister Manindra Reang were moving to their own place at Killa and Shantirbazar of South Tripura.

However, the newly elected Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said that being a former chief minister Manik Sarkar will get a good government accommodation and other protocol amenities. Similarly, the leader of the opposition will also get the status of a cabinet rank minister. And the other MLAs will be staying in the hostel and whatever improvement is required for a VIP will be provided until the new MLA enclave is coming up.

“We may be elected to run the government and administration but I feel Manik Sarkar and his team has a big role to play to pursue our dream of new Tripura (Ek Tripura Shresth Tripura). The BJP has clear mandate that it never equate government with the party,” Deb added.He reiterated Tripura would go a long way by all 60 legislators in the line of Modi’s Vikash mantra. (UNI)