A heated confrontation erupted in the Tripura Legislative Assembly on Tuesday (March 25) as opposition CPI(M) members staged a walkout over an alleged "racist" remark made against Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Jitendra Chaudhury by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ratan Lal Nath.

The controversy stemmed from Nath’s comments during Chaudhury’s speech on the state budget on Monday.

Following the uproar, Chaudhury filed a privilege motion against the minister, calling the remark a "clear breach of privilege."

In his submission to Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen, Chaudhury, who also serves as CPI(M) state secretary and is a senior leader, asserted that the comments were derogatory and racially insensitive.

CPI(M) Demands Apology, Stages Walkout

The situation escalated on the third day of the budget session when CPI(M) legislators stormed the well of the House, demanding an apology from Nath.

Senior CPI(M) MLA Shyamal Chakraborty was the first to raise the issue, prompting his party colleagues to join the protest.

Both Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen and Minister Nath, however, denied the allegation. Nath insisted that his remarks were not aimed at Chaudhury’s tribal identity but were instead directed at the "communist mindset."

Despite the opposition’s demands, the Speaker refused to take action, leading CPI(M) legislators to stage a walkout in protest.

CPI(M) Boycotts Remainder of Budget Session

In response to the Speaker rejecting his privilege motion, Chaudhury announced that the CPI(M) legislative party, comprising 11 MLAs, would boycott the remainder of the budget session, which runs until April 1.

Speaking to the media, Chaudhury accused the Speaker of acting in a biased manner and claimed he was functioning like a BJP leader rather than an impartial presiding officer.

“I had duly submitted the privilege motion, but the Speaker arbitrarily rejected it without following due process. His role has been to serve the BJP’s interests rather than uphold democratic norms,” Chaudhury said.

He further alleged that over the years, the Speaker had been running the Assembly under the influence of the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, disregarding the voice of the opposition.

"We cannot be witnesses to this murder of democracy. We hope good sense will prevail, and democratic norms will be respected,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ratan Lal Nath strongly refuted the accusations, asserting that his words were being deliberately misrepresented by the CPI(M).

"Your provocations will not work. I have never used any racial slur against Jiten Chaudhury," Nath said, dismissing the opposition’s allegations as political manoeuvring.