Former Tripura CM Manik Sarkar backed TET Paper-I qualified candidates demanding early recruitment, urging Chief Minister Manik Saha to initiate talks. He also called for timely wage payments, greater employment opportunities and increased blood donation participation across Tripura.
Former Tripura Chief Minister and senior CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar has extended his support to candidates who qualified in the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) Paper-I and are demanding early recruitment, urging the state government to initiate discussions with the protesters and take positive steps towards addressing their concerns.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a blood donation camp organised by the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), Sarkar called on Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha to engage directly with the protesting candidates and clarify the government’s position on their recruitment.
Sarkar said the candidates had been compelled to continue their agitation and stressed that their demand deserved serious consideration. He urged the government to provide employment to eligible candidates who were still awaiting appointments, while acknowledging that recruiting everyone at once might not be possible.
“I fully support their agitation and the demand they are raising. The chief minister should speak to them,” Sarkar said, adding that the government should take positive steps towards providing jobs to eligible candidates who remained to be recruited.
The veteran CPI(M) leader questioned why the Chief Minister had not held discussions with the candidates, particularly because many of them were seeking appointments in the Education Department, which is also under Saha’s charge.
According to Sarkar, even if immediate recruitment of all qualified candidates was not feasible, the government should establish proper communication channels and explain the situation to the protesters. He said transparent communication could help resolve misunderstandings and prevent the agitation from continuing unnecessarily.
Criticising the government’s alleged lack of response, Sarkar described the situation as unethical and inhuman, pointing out that the candidates had been protesting under the open sky and spending nights in difficult conditions. He appealed to the state government to take appropriate measures to address their concerns and provide clarity regarding the recruitment process.
Beyond the TET recruitment issue, Sarkar also raised concerns about shrinking livelihood opportunities in Tripura, arguing that the lack of employment and delayed wage payments were affecting people’s ability to participate fully in the Durga Puja festivities.
He said festivals could be celebrated with greater enthusiasm when families had sufficient financial resources. According to him, declining livelihood opportunities in both rural and urban areas had placed additional pressure on people, making it difficult for many to enjoy the celebrations.
Sarkar urged the government to ensure that people whose wages remained unpaid received their dues before the festival. He also called for sustained efforts to generate employment opportunities across rural and urban areas to improve household incomes and economic security.
“I hope people of the state spend the festival with great joy and enthusiasm,” Sarkar said, emphasising that timely payments and better employment opportunities were important for ensuring that people could celebrate without financial hardship.
He also criticised the government’s spending on public festival greetings, referring to large hoardings across Agartala displaying Durga Puja messages from the Chief Minister and other ministers. Sarkar argued that such greetings had limited value if people continued to struggle with unemployment and unpaid wages.
His remarks highlighted the importance of prioritising livelihood creation and direct economic support over publicity-oriented expenditure, particularly during the festive season.
The former Chief Minister made the comments while attending an SFI-organised blood donation camp conducted by the organisation’s Sadar divisional committee. He praised the student body for continuing to organise the initiative on the same day over several consecutive years.
Sarkar said he had been informed that 12 people had already donated blood, while several others were undergoing medical examinations before donating. He expressed hope that the final number of donors would match or exceed the previous year’s total of approximately 20 to 21.
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He appealed to people to donate blood whenever the need arose instead of waiting for organised donation camps. Sarkar said regular participation in blood donation could help ensure adequate supplies for patients requiring transfusions.
He also urged the Tripura government to encourage personnel from different departments, including the police, Tripura State Rifles and Home Guards, to participate in blood donation drives. Greater involvement from government departments, he said, could increase public participation and strengthen voluntary blood donation initiatives.
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Sarkar further encouraged the SFI and other student and youth organisations to continue organising blood donation programmes and similar public welfare activities.
The former Chief Minister’s remarks combined support for TET-qualified candidates with a broader appeal for employment generation, timely wage payments and stronger public welfare initiatives. His comments come as recruitment demands and livelihood concerns remain important issues in Tripura ahead of the Durga Puja celebrations.
