Agartala, July 14: The crisis in the Autonomous District Council (ADC) deepened further yesterday with several organisations criticising the ruling CPM for supporting the National Socialist Party of Tripura (NSPT)-led council. The Gana Mukti Parishad (GMP), the tribal front of the CPM, the Tribal Students? Union and Tribal Youth Federation expressed reservations over the CPM?s support to the council, which they claimed had failed on all fronts.
Sources in the CPM, however, indicated that there would be no change in policy and the party?s support to the NSPT-controlled council would continue.
ADC chairman Shanti Ranjan Reang said that as tainted chief executive member, Hirendra Kumar Tripura, had already resigned, the council was cleared of all charges. Reang, accompanied by senior executive member Muuk Chand Debbarma, handed over Hirendra Kumar?s resignation to governor D.N. Sahay yesterday. Hirendra Kumar, who faces several corruption charges, is likely to be chargesheeted soon.
?This clears us of the charge of supporting a corrupt chief executive member and we will continue to support the council headed by the NSPT from outside,? a CPM leader said.
The CPM had supported the NSPT, a breakaway faction of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura, during the ADC elections to remove the INPT from power. However, sources in the CPM claimed that the NSPT had turned out to be as corrupt as its parent organisation.
To worsen matters, the chief executive member became involved in charges of corruption in connection with his NGO, Nepico. A senior leader of the GMP said there was hardly any difference between the INPT and the NSPT and the ?basic decision to support the NSPT had been wrong?.
He said the CPM could have reaped the advantage of its support to the NSPT during the ADC polls next year had the latter been free from corruption.
Sources in the NSPT said ADC chairman Shanti Ranjan Reang was likely to take over as the new chief executive member. ?The decision will be formally taken at a meeting, but our main ally, the CPM, is in favour of Shanti Ranjan,? a source said.