AGARTALA, June 22 (TIWN): The central government's move to virtually abolish the special category status that has traditionally been granted to all the North Eastern states, has now come to be a dangerous and disastrous move for the 22-years stint-in-power the Left ruled Tripura. After several persuasions the state Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on behalf of the eight Chief Ministers of the other North Eastern states managed to knock the door of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at New Delhi this month. But interestingly, the non-committal on ‘special category’ status to Tripura and other North Eastern states has now come up as a big depression for the ‘corruption’ tainted and the so called ‘clean’ Manik Sarkar.

“After analysing the 14th FC's recommendations and the Union Budget for 2015-16, it appears to me that virtually the status of special category states of NER is going to be discontinued. This will be nothing but a big blow to the interest of the NE states who have been suffering from the backwardness and utter under-development due to apathetic and neglecting attitude of the earlier Union Governments causing lot of social and political problems in this region," Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said to PM Modi during the recently held ‘jumbo’ meeting at New Delhi.

But, the Central government has accepted the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission to increase the devolution of central taxes to the states from existing 32 percent to 42 percent while appears to have brought no respite to the depression of Manik Sarkar. The Tripura Left front government had earlier demanded to increase the devolution of taxes at least by 50 percent, however.

Sarkar demanded PM Modi, "The status of the special category states for the state of Tripura and other NE states, in any case, should not be discontinued.”

Interestingly, prior to meet the PM Modi the eight chief ministers of other NE states refusing to accompany Manik Sarkar had asked Sarkar to meet Modi at New Delhi acting on behest of them. This has of course brought another shun to the Tripura Left front government.  Though of course Sarkar clarified no special category status is not only the problem of Tripura but also the problem for other NE states.

Sarkar expressed the apprehension that after the formation of NITI (National Institution for Transforming India) Aayog and considering the 14th Finance Commission recommendations and the 2015-16 union budget, their special category status was going to end.  However, the left ruled Tripura failing to stir the government at the centre is now keeping eye on the NITI Aayog meeting, to be held soon in the presence of all the chief ministers of all the NE states.

According to sarkar, PM Modi during the meeting with him had suggested to take the issue of the special category status in the NITI Aayog meeting. The central government had refused to tag the Tripura and other NE states with the status as it has already increased the central taxes by 10 per cent from the existing, said Sarkar.

However, interestingly the so called clean imaged poorest chief minister of the nation CM Manik Sarkar yet again failed to amaze Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has also failed to regain the ‘special category’ status for Tripura and for other north eastern states. It would be wise enough to comment here that Sarkar and his meeting with PM Modi has also failed to gain a momentum of ‘responsible CM’, after all the eight chief ministers of other NE states had asked Manik Sarkar to meet PM on their behalf.