Agartala: Senior CPIM MLA and the party’s Tripura state secretary, Jitendra Choudhury, was officially sworn in as the new Leader of the Opposition in the state legislative assembly on Wednesday.
Choudhury’s appointment came shortly after the principal opposition party of Tripura—Tipra Motha—extended support to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Following Tipra’s move, CPIM secured the status of the main opposition. Additionally, the opposition included three Congress MLAs.
Speaking to media persons after being officially accorded the position of Leader of Opposition by Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen, the CPIM leader said, “Practically, I was the Leader of Opposition since the very beginning, but technically, I assumed the charge today. According to my understanding, as the CLP (CPIM Legislature Party), I have endeavored to raise public interest issues that are of top priority. My predecessor, who served in the post for the last year, also tried his best to do justice with the constitutional positions he held.”
Choudhury emphasized the beauty of the Indian constitution, which provides constitutional authorization to the opposition party as well. “In the days to come, I will try to play a constructive role by supporting the government in its pro-people policies and certainly pointing out the lacunas that the government might have neglected,” said the CPIM leader.
Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen, who approved Choudhury’s appointment, stated that as per the guidelines, CPIM is now the biggest opposition party, hence Choudhury was appointed as the new Leader of Opposition. “The erstwhile principal opposition party is now an ally of the ruling party. This is why the changes have come into force,” he explained.
Also Read | The CAA is still a danger to indigenous people of the Northeast: Here’s why