Agartala, August 5: In a scathing critique of the ruling BJP at both the Centre and in Tripura, senior Congress MLA and former Minister Sudip Roy Barman accused the saffron party of failing to introduce any original welfare schemes during its tenure, alleging it merely renames Congress-initiated programmes for political mileage and photo ops.
Speaking at the extended state conference of the Youth Congress in Agartala—centered on fighting drug abuse and demanding employment—Roy Barman said, “In over seven years in Tripura and eleven years at the Centre, the BJP hasn’t launched a single new scheme. They’ve simply renamed initiatives like Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana as Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, and Indira Awas Yojana as PM Gramin Awas Yojana.”
He also accused the BJP of eroding cultural heritage while promoting propaganda. “All they’ve done is rename roads, streets, schemes, and monuments for political branding,” he said.
Taking aim at the “Vikshit Bharat” slogan, Roy Barman said, “When one percent of the population controls 40 percent of the GDP and 80 crore people depend on free rations, it’s misleading to call it a developed India.”
He credited the Congress for implementing key initiatives for the indigenous population, including the formation of TTAADC, Forest Rights Act, Ayushman Bharat, Right to Food, Right to Education, and infrastructure development in rural areas.
Roy Barman also criticized Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarma for allegedly watering down the Greater Tipraland demand and indulging in political theatrics to court majority support. He urged tribal Congress leaders to counter this in their constituencies.
Expressing concern over drug abuse and rising HIV cases, he accused BJP leaders of shielding drug traffickers and institutionalizing corruption from “Panchayat to Secretariat.”
Senior Congress leaders, including MLA Birajit Singh, also attended the event.
