Chief Minister Prof. Dr Manik Saha on Sunday  criticized the then Left Front government for its failure to resolve the 23-year-long Bru issue in the state, stating that the dedicated efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have finally addressed the longstanding problem. 

“The problem of Bru-Reang internally displaced people remained unresolved for 23 years during the Left rule, which spanned almost 35 years. However, with the dedicated efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, this long-standing problem has been resolved. Along with this, the Central and State governments are taking the right steps to ensure the proper rehabilitation of the refugees,” said Dr Saha. 

The Chief Minister made these remarks during the inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony for several development projects in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Ambasa subdivision of Dhalai district on Sunday. 

At the event, the Union Home Minister formally inaugurated six development projects worth about Rs 668.39 crore and laid the foundation stone for seven development projects. 

During his speech, the Chief Minister stated, “We endured almost 35 years of Left Front rule here. But the Bru people lived in miserable conditions for 23 years. With the dedicated efforts of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, this long-standing problem has been resolved. I thank the Union Home Minister, who is present here, and express my gratitude to the Prime Minister for resolving this problem.” 

Dr. Saha mentioned that the government has made arrangements for the rehabilitation of Bru IDPs in 12 locations across the state. “Work has been completed in 11 locations, and the remaining work in Shantirbazar is on the verge of completion. Every aspect of the agreement between the Central Government, Tripura Government, Mizoram Government, and Bru representatives will be fully implemented as stated. The state government is fulfilling the directives of the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister,” he said. 

Dr Saha further elaborated that 1,754 acres of land have been used for resettlement. 

“Out of this, a total of 6,935 families comprising 37,584 individuals have been rehabilitated so far. Facilities such as electricity connections, brick-paved roads, deep tube wells for purified drinking water, ration shops, Anganwadi centres, schools, and primary health centres have been provided. Initially, Rs 500 crore was allocated for this purpose, but with the intervention of the Union Home Minister, Rs 821.98 crore has been spent so far,” he added. 

The event was attended by MP Biplab Kumar Deb, MP Kriti Singh Debbarma, MLA Chittaranjan Debbarma, Union Home Secretary Gobinda Mohan, Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha, Director General of Police Amitabh Ranjan, Revenue Secretary Brijesh Pandey, Dhalai District Magistrate Saju Wahid A, and other high-ranking officials from the Central and State administrations.