Tripura Governance Under Scanner ? Fear Favoritism Distress ??

 GGN Exclusive Report from ground zero 
Poonam Sharma from Agartala ,Tripura 20th January : What is happening to governance in Tripura today forces an uncomfortable question—is this still the BJP that promised clean administration, accountability, and respect for institutions, or has it quietly adopted the very Congress-style culture of arrogance and intimidation it once condemned? Under the Manik Saha–led government, allegations of bureaucratic harassment, corruption, suppression of media, and internal humiliation of BJP workers are no longer whispers. They are being spoken aloud—cautiously, but consistently.

Bureaucracy in Fear: When Honesty Becomes a Risk

Today in Tripura, several officers privately admit that even being perceived as supportive of the BJP has become professionally risky. Routine decisions are turning into potential traps, and independent judgment often invites scrutiny rather than appreciation. Many officers allege that those who openly coordinate with or support grassroots BJP workers are being singled out, questioned, or penalized instead of being encouraged. A wave of anxiety is sweeping through administrative offices in various districts, and several other parts of the state following a series of abrupt show-cause notices issued by District Magistrates. Multiple officers and insiders say the actions have gone far beyond routine administrative discipline and have instead created an atmosphere of intimidation within the bureaucracy.
During conversations , several serving officers—speaking strictly on condition of anonymity—questioned the intent behind the sudden notices. “This does not look like accountability,” one senior officer said. “It looks like a warning signal meant for everyone.”

Shaken confidence within the administration

Sources familiar with the episode said the manner and timing of the action have shaken confidence within the administrative machinery. Officers stressed that the issue is no longer confined to an individual case. “The fear is about precedent,” another official explained. “If one officer can be publicly cornered without due process, the message to others is clear—stay silent.”
The chilling effect, officials said, is already visible. Decision-making has slowed, files are being handled with excessive caution, and officers are increasingly reluctant to take independent calls. Critics argue this silence is not accidental but the natural outcome of sustained pressure.
Several current and former officers, as well as members of the public, echoed similar concerns. A senior citizen and retired government official told this reporter that such treatment of bureaucrats is unprecedented in Tripura. “We are being harassed and mentally tortured. This has never been the administrative culture of this state,” he said. He questioned how governance could function when officers work under constant fear of public reprimand.
Insiders warn that if the trend continues, it could have long-term consequences for governance and institutional integrity. “An administration driven by fear cannot deliver honest governance,” one source noted.Transfers, notices, and departmental inquiries, officers claim, are increasingly being used as instruments of pressure. This raises a troubling question: is this governance driven by rules and accountability, or by coercion and control?
With no official clarification yet addressing these concerns, the episode has triggered a wider debate within bureaucratic and civil society circles about whether the line between accountability and coercion is being dangerously blurred.
“Either you fall in line or you are taught a lesson,” said one official on condition of anonymity.

BJP Supporters Harassed, Workers Humiliated

What makes the situation even more disturbing is that even BJP-supporting officers and grassroots BJP workers are not spared. Honest party workers—those who stood on roads, knocked on doors, and defended the party during difficult years—now say they feel discarded.
Many ask openly: Why are loyal BJP workers treated with suspicion while opportunists thrive? Why is there no protection for honest voices within the party? Why does loyalty seem meaningless unless it comes with unquestioning obedience?

BJP Office: From Ideological Centre to Power Shop?

Insiders paint a bleak picture of the BJP office in Tripura. Once a space of ideology, discipline, and debate, it is now described as transactional and lifeless. “There is no grace left,” say senior workers. “It feels like a shop, not a party office.”
This raises a serious question: Has the BJP in Tripura lost its moral compass? The very arrogance it accused the Left and Congress of—centralization, favoritism, and intolerance—is now being alleged within its own walls.Is this the governance style of the BJP or the Congress?” asked a senior BJP leader from the state, voicing what many within the party now whisper in private. “Sometimes I feel Chief Minister Manik Saha has a hidden agenda that only helps the Congress regain ground,” the leader said candidly. He warned that if the present course continues for even six more months, the BJP in Tripura could face a slow, natural decline—much like what happened in West Bengal—where large sections of BJP members and grassroots workers gradually distanced themselves from the party, disillusioned and unheard.

The 30 Percent Question: Where Is the ‘Zero Tolerance’ Promise?

Perhaps the most explosive allegations relate to corruption. Officers and contractors whisper about a “30 percent culture”—where work moves only after money changes hands. Some ministers, it is alleged, are unreachable without percentages being discussed first.
These are not just corruption charges; they are a betrayal of trust. Wasn’t the BJP supposed to end this culture, not inherit it?

Governance or Arrogance?

At the heart of Tripura’s crisis lies arrogance—an assumption that power will last forever and voices can be crushed without consequence. But history is cruel to such assumptions.
The people of Tripura did not vote for fear, harassment, or silence. They voted for change. Today, that change feels unrecognizable.
So the question remains—is this the BJP Tripura was promised, or has it quietly begun to govern like the Congress it once mocked? The answer, sooner or later, will come not from press notes, but from the people themselves.