Tripura Assembly witnesses stormy session over setting up of private medical college

The Tripura Assembly on Friday witnessed a noisy session before the opposition Congress and CPI-M members staged a walkout in protest against rejection of their demand to form a Joint Legislative Committee (JLC) to look into all the aspects related to the setting up of a private medical college in the state.

The CPI-M and Congress MLAs raised the issue in the first half of the last day of the monsoon session on Friday, which they reiterated in the second half, pressing the government to form the JLC to study all the relevant aspects connected to the setting up of the private medical college.

After heated arguments with the treasury bench and Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen in the second half, the CPI-M and Congress MLAs rushed to the Well of the House where they were immediately encircled by the watch and ward staff of the Assembly.

The angry lawmakers raised slogans in support of their demand. After a noisy scene in the House, the opposition legislators staged a walked. 

Amid the controversy over the setting up of the 150-seat private medical college in Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha said in the first half of the session that if the group setting up the institute is found to be 'tainted', the government would act accordingly.

The opposition MLAs claimed that a key person connected to the proposed medical college is now under CBI scanner and is close to jailed Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal.

After months long controversy over the setting up of the medical college by the Kolkata-based Swadhin Trust, the opposition legislators reiterated their demand for a JLC.

Chief Minister Saha, who also holds the Health and Education portfolios, said that Swadhin Trust has the experience of setting up a medical college at Bolpur in West Bengal’s Birbhum district, and is now constructing buildings on 20 acres lands at Ranir Khamar in West Tripura district to set up a 500-bed hospital along with the 150-seat medical college, where the number of beds would be increased to 1,000 in five years.

He said the trust will also set up a multi-specialty hospital soon.

According to the Chief Minister, after the visit of a team from the National Medical Commission (NMC) in June, the apex authority issued a Letter of Permission, while the Tripura University, which is a Central university, also gave Consent of Affiliation allowing the Tripura Santiniketan Medical College of the Swadhin Trust to admit 150 students from the 2024-25 academic year.

The private medical college for a certain period would use the infrastructure of Tripura's main referral hospital -- Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital -- for teaching purposes and pay Rs 10,000 fee per student to the state government, Saha told the House.

Of the 150 seats, 50 per sent would be reserved for Tripura students.

The Chief Minister also said that with the setting up of the new medical college, not only fresh investment will be ensured, but the medical services in the northeastern state would also be strengthened.

Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury and former Health Minister and Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman alleged that the key person involved with the Swadhin Trust is closely associated with Trinamool leader Anubrata Mondal, who is currently lodged in Delhi's Tihar Jail in connection with the cattle-smuggling case in West Bengal.

A former minister and ex-Lok Sabha member, CPI-M state Secretary Chaudhury told the House that West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari had also written to the Centre, urging it not to allow Swadhin Trust to set up a medical college in Bengal.

“Allowing Tripura Santineketan Medical College to use the facilities and infrastructure of the century-old Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (erstwhile Victoria Memorial Hospital) is a most illegal and dishonest attempt,” Chaudhury said.

Roy Barman also said that the key person involved with the Swadhin Trust is now under CBI scanner.

Currently, Tripura has two medical colleges, one owned by the Tripura government and the other by a society under the state government.