CPI(M) MLAs walk out of Tripura Assembly over implementation of 7th CPC recommendations

The opposition CPI(M) MLAs Tuesday staged a walkout in the Tripura Assembly over the implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) recommendations for state government employees. Replying to a notice on the implementation of the 7th CPC moved by CPI(M) MLA Badal Chowdhury, Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, who also holds the Finance portfolio said the BJP-IPFT government decided to implement 7th CPC for over two lakh employees and pensioners of the state from October, this year despite huge fiscal constraint.

"Despite huge fiscal constraints, the new government has given 2.57 per cent booster and the employees and pensioners would get at par with the Central government employees," he said.

However, Chowdhury wanted to know if the government had implemented the 7th CPC as promised in the party's vision document published before the February 2018 elections. The deputy chief minister said, "In spite of huge the financial burden of Rs 1,600 crore, the new government has given new pay scales to the employees and pensioners and some allowances are pending which will be considered later on."

But Chowdhury, told the deputy chief minister to reply in yes or No, whether 7th CPC has been implemented in the state. Then Dev Barma said, "You are not a lawyer and I am not an accused. So, you can't get my answer in yes or no."

CPI(M) MLA Bhanu Lal Saha said the governments the decision to provide 7th CPC to the employees doesnt match to the promise given in the BJPs vision document. Then Health Minister Sudip Roy Barman said that the government has done its best effort to provide 7th CPC benefits.

"If 7th CPC is not given to the employees, the state government will not be able to project its non-plan liabilities to the XV Finance Commission. The BJP-IPFT the government cannot commit the same mistakes what the Left Front did during XIV Finance Commission," he said. Another CPI-M, MLA Tapan Chakraborty alleged that the The BJP-IPFT government did not implement the 7th CPC and what was given is "nothing but an eyewash".

The Deputy Speaker Biswabandhu Sen then announced that this discussion would not be allowed any more as it was discussed for a long time. Angry with the deputy speakers decision, the opposition CPI(M) walked out of the House. But after 20 minutes they returned to the House and participated in the proceedings of the Assembly.