Agartala, July 15, 2025: The CPI(M) has strongly criticised the BJP-led state government over the recent hike in electricity and water tariffs, accusing it of burdening the public with increasing taxes. Addressing a press conference in Agartala on Tuesday, CPI(M) Politburo member and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chowdhury condemned the tariff hikes and announced that the party would soon join a larger movement against the government’s “anti-people” policies.

“The BJP government is trying to cut deep into the pockets of common people by imposing one tax after another. First, they increased the electricity tariff, and now the water tariff too. This is unacceptable,” said Chowdhury.

Lashing out at the government’s handling of the power sector, Chowdhury lamented the decline of Tripura’s once-proud legacy in electricity distribution. “Earlier, Tripura had the glory of supplying electricity not only to the Northeast but to other states as well. That glory has been erased under the BJP regime,” he said.

He also took a swipe at the state’s publicity-driven governance model, saying, “Over the last seven years, they’ve spent crores on flex banners and advertisements trying to paint Tripura as a ‘model state’, while the real situation on the ground continues to worsen.”

Chowdhury claimed that electricity supply has become severely unreliable under the BJP government. “Now even a little rain leaves people without power for a week. Yet, instead of improving services, the government is raising tariffs.”

Taking a dig at Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath, the CPI(M) leader said, “Instead of holding a press conference as Power Minister on behalf of the department, he chose to speak from the BJP party office. That itself shows the intention — politicising government failures. He used that platform to cover up the worsening state of electricity supply and promote the smart meter project, which is nothing but a step toward privatisation.”

Chowdhury further alleged that the smart meter initiative is aimed at handing over the power sector to private hands, warning that this would further hurt public interests.

Urging the public to resist the rising financial burden, he said, “The people must come forward and protest against this continuous attack on their livelihoods.”

The CPI(M) has announced plans to intensify its agitation on this issue in collaboration with other like-minded organisations in the coming days.