Tripura Assembly witnesses pandemonium over minister’s ‘racist’ remark against LoP

Tripura Assembly on Tuesday witnessed bedlam and the opposition CPI-M members staged a walkout from the house over the “racist” remarks against Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jitendra Chaudhury by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath.

LoP later moved a privilege motion against Minister Nath.

“It is a clear breach of privilege which has been committed by Minister Nath while I was initiating discussion on the budget for the year 2025-26,” Chaudhury, also a senior tribal leader of Tripura, said in his privilege motion submitted to Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen.

Chaos on the third day of the week-long budget session started after the CPI-M MLAs demonstrated in the well of the house seeking an apology from the Parliamentary Affairs Minister for his alleged racist remarks against the LoP.

Nath had made the comment on Monday when Chaudhury was addressing the House on the budget.

Senior CPI-M MLA Shyamal Chakraborty first sought an apology from the minister for his remark, and then other members of the Left party joined and subsequently rushed to the well of the house.

Both the Speaker and the Minister, however, denied such comments while Nath claimed that he did not have any intentions to hurt the opposition leader's tribe, he wanted to refer to the “mindset of the CPI-M party”.

After the Speaker did not pay any heed to the opposition's demand and continued with the normal proceedings of the house, the CPI-M MLAs walked out of the House.

Chaudhury, also a former minister and CPI-M Tripura state Secretary, in his privilege motion said: “Under Rule-173 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Tripura Legislative Assembly, the undersigned (LoP) intent to lodge a Privilege Motion against Ratan Lal Nath, Hon'ble Member (Hon'ble Minister for Parliamentary Affairs) in regards to the passing of most derogatory and racist remarks -- 'Jiten babu' has demonstrated his tribe.”

The privilege motion said: “This was not only derogatory and abusive, but racially derogatory against myself, my family and my community. It is a clear breach of privilege which has been committed by Minister Ratan Lal Nath while I was initiating my discussion on the Budget.”