HT Correspondent
AGARTALA, Sept 4: The opening day of the Tripura Legislative Assembly on Wednesday was marked by chaos, with members of the CPIM and Congress staging protests in response to a controversial social media post by SC Welfare Minister Sudhangshu Das.
The uproar intensified near the Speaker’s well as opposition members demanded a public apology from the minister.
The controversy erupted after Das posted on Facebook regarding the recent vandalism of Hindu idols in Tripura by unidentified miscreants. In the September 1 post which he deleted later, the minister said, “In my view, the Hindus have no right to offer prayers to gods and goddesses because those people who can’t protect their temples and gods, don’t deserve to organise prayer or puja.”
Though the post was subsequently deleted, it had already sparked backlash.
Congress MLA Birajit Sinha raised the issue in the Assembly, criticizing the post for undermining secularism and potentially inciting communal tensions. He insisted that Das should issue a public apology.
Defending the minister, BJP MLA Abhishek Debroy argued that the post was justified given the escalating violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. “As Indians, we must be concerned. The situation for minority Hindus in Bangladesh is deteriorating, and we can feel the repercussions here in Tripura. International forces are conspiring to harm India and Hindus,” Debroy asserted.
However, Congress MLA and former minister Sudip Roy Barman rebuked the defence, emphasising the importance of adhering to constitutional values. He advised minister Das to refrain from making provocative remarks that could destabilize peace and law and order in the state.
“You made the right decision by deleting the post, but as a responsible minister, you should publicly apologize,” urged Roy Barman.
Leader of the Opposition and CPIM MLA Jitendra Chaudhury echoed this demand, calling for accountability and an apology from the minister.
Tripura’s food and civil supplies minister, Sushanta Chowdhury, stood by Das, clarifying that the post reflected the minister’s personal views, not the stance of the BJP or the state government. Chowdhury explained that the post was not intended to target any community and had been removed because Das regretted his choice of words.
Tensions escalated further when Das, in a clarification, accused the opposition of being anti-Hindu and siding with terrorism. This led to an uproar, with CPIM and Congress legislators storming the well of the House in protest, disrupting the proceedings.
During a debate on the issue, Das said thousands of Hindus were uprooted during the 1971 war.
“As many as 6 lakh Kashmiri pandits were driven out of Jammu & Kashmir and the man who was behind the move was awarded by the former Prime Minister,” he said triggering strong protests from the Congress.
In protest, the three Congress MLAs walked out of the House for ten minutes. Although CPI(M) MLAs were protesting the minister’s statement, they remained in the House.
