Tripura Opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhury announces plan to raise government employee benefit issues in Tripura Assembly budget session. CPIM vows to advocate for DRW, contingency, and part-time workers while demanding accountability from the ruling government.
The opposition bench in the Tripura Legislative Assembly is preparing to strongly raise issues related to the welfare and benefits of state government employees during the upcoming budget session. On Friday, Jitendra Chaudhury, Politburo member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Leader of the Opposition in Tripura, said that opposition legislators would actively advocate for the concerns of thousands of temporary and contractual workers employed across government departments.
Speaking to reporters after attending the Business Advisory Committee meeting at the Assembly premises, Chaudhury emphasized that the opposition would attempt to become the voice of disadvantaged workers, particularly those engaged as Daily Rated Workers (DRW), contingency workers, and part-time staff. According to him, these workers have long been demanding better job security, improved wages, and regularization of their services.
Chaudhury also referred to earlier political promises made ahead of the 2018 Assembly elections. He recalled that former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb had repeatedly assured voters that categories such as DRW, contingency, and part-time employees would eventually be removed from the service rules through regularization and reforms.
“During the election campaign in 2018, Biplab Kumar Deb promised that these employment categories would disappear from the dictionary of Tripura’s service rules,” Chaudhury stated. “However, what we have witnessed over the last eight years is completely different. The conditions of these workers remain largely unchanged.”
The opposition leader also commented on Deb’s current political assignments outside the state. According to Chaudhury, the former chief minister has now been entrusted with election campaign responsibilities in West Bengal and is repeating similar political narratives there.
Beyond employee welfare issues, Chaudhury welcomed the decision to extend the duration of the upcoming budget session compared to regular Assembly sittings. He noted that longer sessions are essential for ensuring thorough discussion on public policy, financial allocations, and governance issues.
“The treasury bench has kept its commitment to some extent by scheduling a longer budget session,” he said. “It should also compensate for the winter session that could not be held earlier due to various reasons.”
According to Chaudhury, the opposition has consistently demanded longer Assembly sessions so that legislators can effectively raise questions related to various government departments and hold the administration accountable. He stressed that question-and-answer sessions are an important democratic tool for highlighting public grievances and ensuring transparency.
The opposition, he said, will use the extended session to bring forward issues affecting government employees, social welfare schemes, and broader public interest concerns.
“We will maintain our commitment to constructive criticism,” Chaudhury added. “Our objective is not merely to oppose but to highlight the genuine problems faced by the people and the workforce of the state.”
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Political observers believe that employee-related issues could become one of the key debates during the budget session, as thousands of temporary workers across Tripura continue to demand regularization and improved service conditions.
With the Assembly session approaching, both the treasury and opposition benches are expected to engage in intense discussions over governance priorities, fiscal policy, and employee welfare measures that could significantly impact the state’s administrative workforce.
