AGARTALA, Nov 29 (TIWN): Tripura CM suffers from rare ‘foot in mouth disease’ when Manik Sarkar goes Delhi to bootlick Central Ministers for various funding to help party and cadres in Tripura but CM always badmouths about Central Ministers upon returning Agartala. Manik Sarkar on Monday in press meet at Secretariat said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi via his Finance Minister requested Sarkar to be a part of the central committee which would deal with the Cash-less society’s planning for India’s future. Sarkar said, “Union Finance Minister called me and said that Narendra Modi had selected 5 CMs to be a part the committee and he chosed me also as one of them”. “As I am not an expert in technical world so I clearly told Mr. Jailley that I’m not a technical person, but as it’s PM’s decision so he has put me just into trouble with the request. Whatever the decision please handle with care”, Sarkar told Jailtley. Chief Minister later thought that what people will say if he becomes a part of the committee as CPI-M had called for a strike just before a day protesting against ‘demonetization’.

Realizing the political blunder, Sarkar on Monday at 11.30 AM immediately called the Union Minister Arun Jaitley again and told him, “Please don’t misunderstand. I’m didn’t take my final decision yet". 

However Mr. Jailey again told  me about the whole issue that I don’t have to do anything but economic experts will be there in the committee including NITI Aayog. But I said sorry as I can’t be a part of the committee”.

When media asked him why CM didn’t become a part of the committee as it could diminish the financial problems in his state, Sarkar replied, “It will create confusion in public’s mind. Your own self will be confused that the same person called strike and now he is joining in Central Committee. Thinking all these I decided that and politely told Arun  Jailtely ‘Please don’t min I can’t be a member in that”.

Criticism raised as was it necessary to disclose the FM and CM talk to the media just to benefit politically?

It’s a national issue, not of a political dispute to highlight in media.  On the one hand he wants to develop the state, he wants to dispute with NITI Aayog, but on the other hand, he rejected PM’s offer to be a part of the Central Committee. Has not Sarkar deprived NE small state Tripura with this rejection?, Questions raised by Journalists.

About the demonetization Sarkar said, “Let the small notes run till the fresh notes comes. The country is undergoing a cashless situation.. business under huge loss, many people died. Unless and until the pumping of notes are there, let the old notes be usable atleast till 30^th Dec”.

“In whole world, apart from Sweden no country took such a step, whereas the Americans who are considered as number 1 in economics, didn’t take such a decision. If a cashless society is made, then banks need in more numbers here. India has very less banks, including Tripura”, he added.

But one thing was clear from the press meet that Modi Govt will move the country into a cashless society but Tripura CM remained proud to lose  the golden opportunity to highlight the state by closing with BJP Govt for the sake of his local party issues.