Agartala: Oct 31. In a sharp rebuttal, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Thursday accused BJP MP and former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb of “misinterpreting the Constitution of India” and attempting to “mislead the people” over the implementation of the Tiprasa Accord.
Addressing a press conference in Agartala, along with PCC President Ashish Kumar Saha, Barman played a video clip of Deb where the latter claimed that the matter of the Tiprasa Accord “does not concern the state government” but falls “under the Selection Committee 25A of the Constitution.” Deb had also stated that “25A cannot be implemented for Tripura alone as it requires consent from all states.”
Countering Deb’s remarks, Barman said, “There is nothing called Article 25A in the Constitution. Article 25 guarantees the freedom of religion and the right to practice and propagate one’s faith, subject to public order and morality.” He alleged that Deb “doesn’t even know the basics of the Constitution.”
Barman further clarified that Deb had confused Article 25 with the 125th Amendment Bill, which deals with provisions related to the Sixth Schedule areas in the Northeast. “The Tiprasa Accord is solely for Tripura, while the 125th Amendment Bill concerns all six scheduled areas across Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, and Mizoram,” he said.
Questioning Deb’s understanding of federalism, Barman asked, “How can the implementation of the Tiprasa Accord in Tripura be linked with states like West Bengal or Tamil Nadu? The Accord has nothing to do with them.”
The Congress leader alleged that Deb’s misleading comments reflect a lack of constitutional knowledge and an attempt to divert attention from the BJP’s failure to implement the Tiprasa Accord.
