Tripura minister accuses CPI(M) of ‘hypocrisy’ over festive ration distribution

Tripura Food Minister Sushanta Chowdhury on October 25 accused CPI(M) leaders of spreading misinformation about the state government’s festive distribution of free semolina, flour and sugar, asserting that supplies had already reached nearly 59 per cent of ration shops and the remaining distribution was under way.

Rejecting opposition claims that the items were unavailable at ration shops, Chowdhury alleged that several CPI(M) leaders had falsely claimed to have contacted him over the issue.

“Political parties can criticise one another, but such criticism should be based on facts. Using someone’s name to spread false information is not acceptable,” the minister said while addressing the media.

He alleged that 10 to 15 people holding responsible positions had misled the public by claiming that they had spoken to him about the alleged shortage. According to Chowdhury, some claimed that he had failed to respond to their queries, while others said he had not answered their phone calls.

“This kind of hypocrisy is not proper,” he said, accusing the opposition of attempting to mislead people over the distribution drive.

Taking a swipe at the previous Left Front government, Chowdhury also challenged the CPI(M) to cite an example of a similar welfare initiative during its decades in power.

“Your government was also there; did the people of the state ever get 1 kg of sugar or suji and maida for free?” he asked, adding that providing free essential commodities to the poor required the right mindset.

Clarifying the status of the distribution programme, the minister said the state government had announced the provision of 2 kg of flour, 1 kg of sugar and 500 grams of semolina per eligible ration cardholder family as part of its festive initiative. He said this was the second time the government had introduced such a scheme since assuming office.

“Already, 59 per cent of ration shops in Tripura have received suji and maida, and the rest are on their way,” Chowdhury said.

He explained that semolina and flour were milled within Tripura, while sugar had to be procured from outside the state. The sugar consignment arrived two days before his statement, he said, adding that distribution had officially begun on Saturday under the supervision of senior Food Department officials, including the Principal Secretary and the Director.

Chowdhury said semolina and flour would be distributed across all ration shops within the next three to four days, while sugar supplies would reach the entire state within seven to 10 days. He also assured beneficiaries who were yet to receive their supplies that the process would be completed within the next five to seven days.

The distribution programme is scheduled to continue through the festive period, covering Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja and Bhai Phonta.

Providing details of the scheme, the minister said Tripura has approximately 9.92 lakh ration cardholder families. Semolina is being provided to beneficiaries under the Antyodaya, Priority Group and Below Poverty Line (BPL) categories, while flour and sugar are being distributed to all ration cardholder families, including those classified as Above Poverty Line (APL), BPL, Priority Group and Antyodaya.

The initiative entails an expenditure of approximately Rs 9 crore, Chowdhury said, thanking Chief Minister Manik Saha and the state Finance Minister for supporting the programme.

The minister appealed to the media to report the status of the distribution accurately and urged political parties not to create unnecessary panic while supplies were being delivered to ration shops across the state.