AGARTALA, Sep 22 (TIWN): ‘Connect NorthEast Investment Summit’ which is jointly organized by Tripura Govt and FICCI, lacked the basic requirement of all Chief Ministers or Ministers presence or NE Govt officials from all North Eastern States representing each Government. During CPI-M’s 23 years rule in Tripura, no communist Chief Minister had to face such an embarrassment as all NE CMs, 3 Union Ministers ignored Manik Sarkar Govt & FICCI’s invitations. Even Nagaland CM and Bangladesh Minister who arrived late in evening missed inaugural 1st day programmes. Tripura Infoway already predicted 2 days back that Manik Sarkar’s ‘Northeast Investment Summit’ will be a major flop-show of 2016. As predicted, this summit was not only flop but NITI Aayog member Bibek DebRoy ripped off Manik Govt’s fake-claims of Industry and Infrastructure developments. Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitaraman, MoRTH Minister Nitin Gadkari, DoNER Minister Jitendra Singh, Assam’s CM Sarbananda Sonowal, Meghalaya and other important States CMs all ignored Manik Sarkar Govt’s invitation to attend investment summit at Pragna Bhavan. Two senior IAS officers, Chief Secretary Y.P.Singh, Industry Secretary M.Nagaraju alongwith Industry Minister Tapan Chakraborty were virtually slapped by NITI Aayog’s Bibek Debroy as he rebuked them for uttering false propaganda about Tripura’s progress.

Apart from that CPI-M Govt’s invitations were rejected by various top business groups. Manik Sarkar’s plan to use FICCI to boast about his Govt’s all fake propagandas finally flopped as no important dignitaries showed up in this summit.

As per Tripura Govt and FICCI circulated literature  it boasts many big things about all North East States participations….it says “Connect North East 2016” is being organized against a backdrop a number of positive developments, including the unprecedented focus on development of roads, inland waterways, railways etc in the region, the emergence of a democratic Myanmar, improving ties with Bangladesh, a resurgent foreign policy and above all the emerging potential of North East India as a connecting corridor between the Indian Subcontinent and SE Asia. The summit will bring together leading stakeholders from the North Eastern States of India, policy makers, relevant central government ministers, corporates from various sectors – infrastructure, construction, financial institutions as well as key stakeholders from civil aviation, inland waterways, rail and road connectivity from India, neighboring countries and the ASEAN Region.”

But the joke is no NE Chief Minister or any NE Minister or any top officials from any North Eastern States showed up in Manik Sarkar’s adventures of organizing a NE Business summit. Only consolation is Nagaland CM and Bangladesh Industry Minister arrived in evening but missed inaugural day programmes.

Apart from that, in Manik Sarkar’s long political career as Chief Minister, this is first time a highly educated economist like NITI Aayog Member Bibek Debroy taught Tripura’s egoist CM a hard lesson on economy and then advising to refrain from false claims on State’s (fake) developments.

Manik Sarkar now likely to face more embarrasments as its becoming difficult to hide Govt's massive failures in inviting investments, lack of Govt policy on industrialization, lack of IT Industry visions.