Photo Courtesy: tripuratimes
Agartala: The Tripura Legislative Assembly erupted into chaos on August 27, forcing Speaker Rampada Jamatia to adjourn the House before the scheduled recess. Tensions peaked during Zero Hour when Power and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath accused the CPI(M) of being anti-national and acting as a broker for Pakistan and China. The dispute centered on a recent visit by Cuban Ambassador Juan Carlos Marsán Aguilera and a series of events held between August 19 and August 21, including a program at Rabindra Bhavan marking the birth centenary of Fidel Castro.
Nath condemned the display of Cuban flags, claiming they outnumbered the Indian tricolor, and took issue with the lack of the national anthem during the proceedings. He demanded an apology from Leader of the Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury, asserting that his speech at the event disparaged Indian nationalism and compared the nation to imperialist powers. BJP legislators rallied behind Nath, brandishing the Indian flag while shouting slogans against the opposition. Nath ordered the CPI(M) MLAs to exit the chamber if they refused to apologize, leading Chaudhury to retort, "Who are you to ask me to leave the place?"
Chaudhury dismissed the allegations as a manufactured political drama. He claimed the Minister sought to distract from public anger over recent power tariff hikes and frequent outages. Defending his earlier remarks, the opposition leader stated he had highlighted India’s humanitarian tradition by referencing figures like Swami Vivekananda and Dr. Taraknath Kotnis. He argued that the CPI(M) respected the country and criticized the BJP for narrow nationalism, while further alleging that the RSS failed to hoist the national flag at its headquarters until 2002. Following the recess, the assembly resumed its business at 2:00 pm.
Updated at 28th August 2026 at 1:50am
Nath stoked the fire further by invoking the legacy of Maharaja Bir Bikram, noting that August 19 marked the monarch's birth anniversary. He slammed the opposition for ignoring the state holiday, accusing the CPI(M) of failing to recognize local visionary leaders.
Chaudhury countered by branding the BJP as agents of the British and the United States. During the heated floor exchange, the opposition leader also attempted to steer the discussion toward the census, an effort Nath immediately blocked.
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