THE budget session of the Tripura Legislative Assembly has set ugly examples with scandalous incidents, compelling CPI(M) legislators, the main opposition in the house, to boycott the remaining days of the session from March 27, 2025.

On March 21, 2025, the first day of the budget session, Finance Minister Pranjit Singharoy tabled the state’s budget proposal for the year 2024-25. The debate on the budget proposal was scheduled to begin on March 24. As per house convention, leader of the opposition and CPI(M) state secretary, Jitendra Chaudhury, initiated the debate on budget. However, his speech was continuously disrupted by the treasury bench in an unruly and indecent manner. The speaker of the house failed to intervene to restore order and was instead seen abetting the disruptive behaviour of the treasury bench, who vocally opposed Chaudhury’s right to speak.

During his speech, Jitendra Chaudhury strongly criticised the proposed budget, calling it useless for any meaningful welfare of the common people, who continue to struggle for jobs and livelihood opportunities. He systematically pointed out the electoral promises made by the ruling alliance, most of which remain unfulfilled, and labelled the BJP-IPFT-Tipra Motha government as a “regime of broken promises.” Instead of delivering on its commitments, he argued, corruption and a deep-rooted "commission raj" have taken hold in every government department, benefiting a select few within the ruling party while depleting public exchequer.

To support his claims, Jitendra Chaudhury cited an example from the treasury bench itself. He pointed out that a minister who had claimed to belong to an ‘Antyodaya’ (economically weaker) family just two years ago now had a brother who was felicitated by the government as the highest taxpayer in the state this year. "How does such a transformation happen if not through corruption?" he questioned.

This incident struck a nerve with the treasury bench, causing them to lose all patience. Enraged, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath abandoned all parliamentary decorum and verbally abused Jitendra Chaudhury, making racial remarks such as ‘Jaat Chenachhen’ (indicating a caste-based slur) and threatening to confine him to Melarmath (Melarmathe Dukaiya Rekhbo), referring to the CPI(M) state committee office in Agartala. These remarks were repeatedly made by Nath in the same breath.

Such unethical, unparliamentary, and objectionable statements, blatantly violating the rules of conduct of the Assembly, were made in the presence of the chief minister, who was seen encouraging the speaker. Shockingly, the speaker did not intervene.

All opposition members stood up in protest, strongly condemning minister Ratan Lal Nath's remarks targeting Jitendra Chaudhury, who belongs to a tribal community, as well as the open threat made in the Assembly in violation of parliamentary norms. However, the speaker shamefully ignored the opposition’s objections and failed to take any action.

On the following day, March 25, 2025, the opposition urged the speaker to direct minister Ratan Lal Nath to issue an apology, withdraw his offensive remarks, and express regret for his behaviour the previous day. However, neither the speaker nor the treasury bench, including the chief minister, showed any willingness to resolve the matter amicably. Instead, they escalated their vindictive stance against the opposition.

At this juncture, Jitendra Chaudhury moved a privilege motion on March 25, 2025. However, on March 26, the speaker summarily rejected the motion without providing any explanation. In a further undemocratic move, the treasury bench filed a counter-privilege motion against Daily Desher Katha, a newspaper that had extensively reported on the events of March 24 in the Assembly.

Outraged by the treasury bench’s actions and the speaker’s blatantly partisan role, which severely undermined democratic practices by disregarding established rules and procedures of the house, the opposition staged a walkout in protest.

While Congress legislators opposed the treasury bench and condemned the minister’s inappropriate remarks, Tipra Motha MLAs not only refrained from objecting but were seen supporting and even enjoying the minister’s abusive remarks directed at a tribal CPI(M) MLA.

At this stage, CPI(M) legislators, led by the leader of the opposition, held a press conference on March 26, condemning the actions of the treasury bench and the speaker, who, they stated, had turned the Assembly into a graveyard of democracy. As the main opposition in the house, the CPI(M) legislators decided to boycott the remaining days of the ongoing Assembly session and called upon democratic-minded citizens to raise their voices against the speaker's undemocratic and partisan actions, as well as the ruling BJP-led alliance’s conduct.

Across all sub-divisions, Left supporters, particularly CPI(M) members, took to the streets demanding the expulsion of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath, accusing him of having no respect for democratic principles and violating the oath he took as a minister.