Agartala: A censure motion in Tripura Assembly against Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who also holds the Home portfolio, brought by the Opposition Congress on the law and order situation, was rejected by voice vote on May 26.

The motion, moved by the leader of the Opposition Ratan Nath, blamed the government for failing to protect the lives of 30 people, who were killed by insurgents of the banned All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) at Jaggeswarnanagr and Mohercherra, the two villages in West Tripura district on May 7.

Participating in the discussion on the motion, Nath said Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, who also holds the Home portfolio, failed to check militancy in the state.

He said that the two carnages strongly proved how the Home department led by Sarkar failed to check activities of a handful of insurgents with more than 50,000 forces from the state and Centre, at its disposal.

Nath said more than 119 people including 16 Congress leaders and activists were killed during the past months of this year.

Nath said the Chief Minister should have resigned from the post when the censure motion was admitted for discussion in the Assembly.

The Chief Minister virtually failed to honour the Constitution as he had taken oath to discharge duties of protecting the lives and property of the people, he added.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said in reply that the state government was acting upon the need to check insurgent activities in co-ordination with the Centre.

PTI