Tripura Congress Lashes Out at Manik Saha Led Govt, Levels Corruption Charges Against BJP

He claimed that the government land was allocated to the private hospital without a formal tender or any cabinet approval.

The opposition Congress in Tripura has levelled serious corruption charges against the Manik Saha-led BJP government over the allotment of government land for the SHIJA hospital branch in Tripura.

Continuing the onslaught against Chief Minister Manik Saha, former minister and Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman accused the state government of massive financial corruption.

His latest allegation revolves around the alleged illegal allotment of government land for setting up a branch of the SHIJA Hospital in exchange for undisclosed financial benefits to certain individuals. The SHIJA Hospital is a private hospital and research institute from Manipur.

Roy Barman highlighted that the plot in question, a sprawling 28-acre area in RK Nagar on the outskirts of Agartala, belonged to the Animal Resources Development Department.

He claimed that the government land was allocated to the private hospital without a formal tender or any cabinet approval.

Roy Barman pointed fingers at the Chief Minister, accusing Saha’s administration of operating on a policy of “chandadou, dhandalou” (give money, get business), implying that financial kickbacks were involved.
The Congress MLA also suggested that the state government was being run by a select circle, referring to them as Saha’s “brother and friend.”

The former health minister, who resigned from the BJP and rejoined Congress, expressed deep concerns over the allocation of land without a competitive tender process, which he believes, is a violation of legal procedures.

“Why was a single private hospital chosen without providing a fair opportunity for other institutions to participate?” Roy Barman questioned, pointing to the lack of transparency in the government’s decision-making process.

Furthermore, he urged political leaders across party lines, including the Leader of the Opposition and former chief ministers, to address whether this allotment constitutes corruption.

“I am not against private investment in the healthcare sector, but it must be done fairly,” he stated, recalling how, during his tenure as health minister, tenders were floated to encourage private hospitals to improve Tripura’s healthcare infrastructure.

This is not the first time Roy Barman has raised allegations against the current administration. In a recent assembly session, he had accused Tribal Welfare Minister Bikash Debbarma and the Chief Minister’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of financial corruption.

The BJP, however, has strongly denied these accusations. Just two days ago, the party held rallies across Tripura, including in Agartala, condemning the claims made by both the Congress and the CPI (M).
BJP leaders alleged that the opposition parties are conspiring against the state government by spreading “false and fabricated propaganda” to mislead the public.

With Roy Barman’s continued attacks and the BJP’s equally strong counter-campaign, the political climate in Tripura seems to be heating up further, with corruption allegations now dominating the discourse.

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