Tripura's Gomati DM declined to meet me at his residence, claims Tripra Motha chief

Agartala: Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma claimed that Tripura's Gomati District Magistrate (DM) Tarit Kanti Chakma has refused to meet him at his official residence, triggering a political uproar in the state.

CPI(M) MLA and leader of opposition in the Tripura Assembly, Jitendra Chaudhury, on Monday condemned the DM for his behaviour, while Tipra Motha legislator Ranjit Debbarma demanded the removal of Chakma for "dereliction of duties".

The regional party's supremo said he, along with Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council's chief executive member Pura Chandra Jamatia, went to the DM's residence in Udaipur to meet him on Sunday, but the district magistrate "refused" to discuss with them there.

"I have been sending text messages to his mobile phone for the past one month to discuss some important issues in the Gomati district. I had also made several calls, but the DM did not pick up. I arrived at his official residence to meet and discuss the important issues, but he declined to meet me," Debbarma told the reporters.

The Tipra Motha leader also said, "It appears that the DM became VIP. He is a public representative and shall be available to the people for 24 hours. Chief Minister Manik Saha also met me in his official residence, but he did not." Chaudhury, the CPI(M) legislator, strongly reacted to the behaviour of the Gomati DM.

"DM, Gomati's behaviour with two public representatives is not at all acceptable and is condemnable. Dereliction of duties as a public servant and sheer arrogance," he said in a Facebook post.

In a statement on Monday, TMP MLA (Ranjit Debbarma) sought the chief minister's intervention to remove the DM immediately for "unexpected behaviour" and "dereliction of duties".