Former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Sunday strongly criticized the present state government, alleging that it has failed to deliver on the promises that brought it to power in 2018, even after more than seven years in office.

Addressing the 4th conference of the Dukli Divisional Committee at Bhanu Ghosh Memorial Hall, Sarkar said that the expectations set during the 2018 elections remain largely unfulfilled. He drew a comparison with the tenure of the Left Front government, highlighting that Tripura had once secured the top position in the country for the implementation of MGNREGA.

“Earlier, workers used to get around 94 to 95 days of employment under the scheme. Now, it has drastically fallen to just 26 to 35 days,” Sarkar stated. He further alleged that workers are often forced to wait for months to receive their wages. “Even after the wages are credited, there are attempts to prevent workers from withdrawing their money, and those who protest reportedly face intimidation,” he added.

Sarkar also raised concerns over the government’s employment promises. He recalled that prior to coming to power, assurances were made to provide jobs to unemployed youth from families without government employees, based on their educational qualifications.

“Those promises remain largely unaddressed,” he said. “The Chief Minister claims that 19,000 to 20,000 jobs have been provided, but most of these are contractual. Many of these workers are not even receiving proper wages, and their employment remains uncertain. Some are dismissed after a few months, only to be rehired later, preventing them from securing stable, regular positions.”

He emphasized that such practices fail to address the core issue of unemployment and called for the creation of permanent job opportunities. “To truly tackle unemployment, the government must create new posts and ensure regular recruitment,” Sarkar asserted.

The event was also attended by former MLA Rajkumar Chowdhury, MLA Ramu Das, DYFI State Secretary Nabarun Deb, Dukli Divisional Committee Secretary Subhankar Majumdar, and other leaders.