Tripura BJP chief slams opposition over 'fake' campaign against smart meters

Tripura BJP president Rajib Bhattacharya on Sunday criticized the opposition, including CPIM and Congress, for running a malicious campaign against smart electric meters with baseless propaganda aimed at confusing the public.

Addressing a press conference along with BJP general secretary Bipin Debbarma today, the BJP president said that the opposition political parties have been campaigning against smart meters by spreading fake and fabricated information in an attempt to confuse the people.

“I want to urge the people that this government is a government of the people and is working for the welfare of the people. The opposition has been protesting against smart meters just to confuse the public. I condemn it and strongly oppose it,” he said.

Rajib clarified that the installation of smart meters is being carried out in accordance with the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, which mandate their use for all electricity consumers.
He emphasized that smart meters are designed to benefit citizens by providing more accurate readings, enhancing accountability, and enabling better service delivery.

“We are now slowly adopting technology in every sector  like E-offices, smart classrooms, etc.  to make everything transparent. In ration shops too, technology has been adopted so that the public isn’t fooled. The opposition is trying to confuse the public. They have failed to digest the developmental works in the state. The central government has decided to install smart meters across all states, and in many states, the process has already begun. In our state, over 95,000 consumers have already installed smart meters. People themselves are saying that they are being benefited by smart meters, as they can now monitor the usage themselves,” he said.

Rajib, who is also the lone Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from Tripura, also slammed the CPIM and then Chief Minister Manik Sarkar for creating a ‘jungle raj’ in the state.

He alleged that in 1998, when Sarkar was the Chief Minister, in just 112 days, 118 persons were killed, 87 were kidnapped, and 29 were raped. “This is based on facts,” he added.
“The way Sarkar has criticized the BJP, saying we have failed to control terrorism — this is what actually happened during his tenure,” he said.