Opposition leader Jitendra Chaudhury  slammed the BJP-led coalition government for failing to fill up the vacant posts in its departments and claimed day by day unemployment problems in Tripura growing rapidly.

Addressing a rally organized by the CPI(M)’s tribal wing Tripura Rajya Ganamukti Parisad (GMP) during their Raj Bhavan march on Saturday in support of tribal rights, Chaudhury said the number of government employees in Tripura has been reduced by 56,000 during the BJP rule and simultaneously the rate of unemployment of Tripura stand at the peak of the country.

Before 2018 assembly elections, BJP had promised to clear a proposal to fill up 50,000 posts in the government sector in the first cabinet meeting, if the party was voted to power, Chaudhury said.

They also promised 7 lakh employment generations in the five years. Now, the number of employees in the government sector has reduced by 56,000 from March 2018 to March 2024, he said.

Chaudhury also criticized over the BJP lawmakers’ allegation of fomenting unemployed youth against the government by raising a ‘motion’ in the Assembly on Friday.

When opposition MLAs raised a motion in the Assembly over employment, the treasury bench members blamed opposition for fomenting the youth, said Chaudhury and added that ‘we want the government to fill up vacant posts in the government sector to address the unemployment problem,’ he said.

Chaudhury also strongly demanded the holding of elections to the Village Committee in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) at the earliest.

There has been no election in the village committees for the past four years citing different reasons by the state government. During the Left Front regime, development used to take place in village committee areas despite insurgency. Now, the development has become a standstill in tribal council areas, he said.

Later, a five-member delegation of GMP, headed by its state president Naresh Jamatia met Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu at Raj Bhavan and submitted a six-point charter of demands.

The demands include immediate elections in village committees and implementation of ST reservation in the government sector.