Local journalists have expressed deep disappointment over being barred from covering the high-profile 72nd Plenary Session of the North Eastern Council (NEC) held at Pragna Bhawan in Agartala.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired the session, which was attended by Union Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia, along with the Governors, Chief Ministers, and senior officials from all eight northeastern states. While the event was a pivotal moment for the region’s development discourse, the exclusion of local media caused a significant uproar.
The Agartala Press Club, Tripura Journalist Union, and other media bodies condemned the government’s decision to deny local journalists access to the session. Instead, 18 journalists from outside the state were invited, provided with green cards, and accommodated in a five-star hotel with special arrangements for meals. In contrast, Tripura journalists were neither invited nor allowed entry into the venue.
“This decision to overlook local journalists in their own city is not only disappointing but also deeply disrespectful to the press fraternity of Tripura,” said Ramakanta Dey, Secretary of the Agartala Press Club. In a strongly worded statement, he criticized the government’s move as “regrettable and unacceptable.”
The controversy deepened further when local journalists, who were given lunch tokens for the Bankers Conclave-2024 held at a private hotel following the NEC plenary, reported being denied meals. This incident added to their grievances and fueled perceptions of discriminatory treatment.
Tripura Journalist Union Secretary Santosh Gope condemned the exclusion and the mistreatment, stating, “The exclusion of local journalists from covering the NEC plenary and the mistreatment at the Bankers Conclave reflect a serious lack of respect for the state’s press community. We urge the state government to ensure such practices are not repeated in the future.”
The NEC plenary, which served as a critical platform for discussing the Northeast’s developmental priorities, instead left the local press community feeling sidelined and disrespected. A senior journalist from Agartala lamented that the event, which could have amplified the voices of the region’s journalists, ended up marginalizing them.
