Agartala, February 03, 2026: With elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) drawing closer, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Monday launched a sharp attack on the TIPRA Motha-led council, accusing it of financial mismanagement, administrative inefficiency and misleading indigenous communities to cover up its failures.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters, Dr. Saha dismissed claims by ADC authorities that the state government was starving the council of funds. He maintained that the TTAADC has been receiving more than its due share but has failed to utilise the resources effectively.

The Chief Minister said allocations for tribal development have steadily increased, pointing out that nearly 39.6 per cent of the state’s development expenditure in 2025–26 is earmarked for tribal areas, a figure expected to cross 40 per cent in the upcoming budget.

He explained that a significant portion of government funds is spent on committed expenditures such as salaries, pensions, social security schemes and interest payments, and alleged that the council leadership was either unwilling or unable to understand the financial structure.

According to Dr. Saha, the real issue lies not in inadequate funding but in poor financial planning by the ADC administration. He cited major investments made since 2018, including two separate sanctions of Rs 30 crore for hospital development at Khumulwng, Rs 1,400 crore mobilised from the World Bank for infrastructure projects, and another Rs 1,700 crore under the ELEMENT Project for development works in tribal areas.

Raising questions over the utilisation of these funds, the Chief Minister alleged that the council had appointed employees without prior approval from the state Finance Department and is now struggling to meet pension liabilities.

He also accused TIPRA Motha of creating confusion among indigenous communities for political gain, stating that successive governments and parties had been tested in the ADC and that the current leadership had failed to deliver visible development.

Despite TIPRA Motha being an NDA ally in the state Assembly, Dr. Saha made it clear that no alliance exists in the ADC, asserting that the BJP would contest the council elections independently.

Expressing confidence in the party’s growing support base in tribal areas, he predicted a decisive mandate for the BJP, claiming it would secure all 28 seats in the upcoming polls.