{"id":5145,"date":"2025-07-20T12:19:49","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T12:19:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianinsightnews.com\/?p=5145"},"modified":"2025-07-20T12:19:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T12:19:54","slug":"tripura-bjp-slams-oppositions-baseless-propaganda-against-smart-meters-alleges-anti-development-agenda","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianinsightnews.com\/?p=5145","title":{"rendered":"Tripura BJP Slams Opposition’s “Baseless Propaganda” Against Smart Meters, Alleges Anti-Development Agenda."},"content":{"rendered":"\n


AGARTALA, Tripura<\/strong> – Tripura BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP, Rajib Bhattacharya, on Sunday launched a strong offensive against opposition parties, particularly the CPI(M) and Congress, accusing them of running a “malicious campaign” against the state government’s initiative to install smart electric meters. Bhattacharya asserted that the opposition’s actions are driven by baseless propaganda aimed at confusing the public and hindering the state’s developmental progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Addressing a press conference at the state BJP headquarters in Agartala, Bhattacharya vehemently defended the government’s push for smart meter installations. He highlighted that the move aligns with the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, which mandate the use of these modern meters for all electricity consumers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


“Parties like CPI(M) and Congress are unable to accept the development and progress brought by the current government. They are misleading the people and maligning the smart meter initiative with baseless propaganda,” Bhattacharya stated. He emphasized that smart meters are designed to benefit citizens by ensuring more accurate readings, enhancing accountability in billing, and enabling more efficient service delivery. He drew parallels with digitization efforts in other government departments, such as e-offices, stressing that the aim is to bring transparency and efficiency through modern technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The BJP leader seized the opportunity to strongly criticize the past governance of the CPI(M) and Congress, citing various alleged incidents of murder and corruption during their respective tenures. He specifically pointed fingers at former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, alleging that the 25-year rule of the Left Front government was marred by systemic failures, criminal activities, and widespread misuse of power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The opposition, including the CPI(M) and Congress, has been vocal in their protests against the smart meter rollout and recent electricity tariff hikes. They have labeled the government’s decisions as “anti-people” and accused the BJP-led state government of pushing citizens into a financial crisis. Congress leaders have alleged “large-scale fraud” in the implementation of smart meters, claiming that common consumers are being harassed in the name of modernization. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have also referenced instances where even BJP units in other states, like West Bengal, reportedly opposed the central push for smart meters due to concerns about manipulation risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


However, Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath has also countered these claims, accusing the opposition of misguiding citizens and pointing to their own record of substantial electricity tariff increases during their time in power. He highlighted a 62% tariff hike in a single stroke in September 2010 under CPI(M) rule and a cumulative hike of over 116% between 2010 and 2016. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nath asserted that the current BJP government is following the pricing adjustment law enacted by the commission in 2011, which allows for tariff hikes to be distributed over multiple billing cycles to ease consumer burden. He further stated that the government is investing in technology to ensure accountability and transparency, including the use of drone cameras to curb electricity theft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


The ongoing verbal sparring underscores the political divide over essential services and infrastructure development in Tripura, with both sides accusing the other of political opportunism and misleading the public.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AGARTALA, Tripura – Tripura BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP, Rajib Bhattacharya, on Sunday launched a strong offensive against opposition parties, particularly the CPI(M) and Congress, accusing them of running a “malicious campaign” against the state government’s initiative to install smart electric meters. Bhattacharya asserted that the opposition’s actions are driven by baseless propaganda aimed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5146,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tripura"],"yoast_head":"\nTripura BJP Slams Opposition's "Baseless Propaganda" Against Smart Meters, Alleges Anti-Development Agenda. - INDIANINSIGHT NEWS<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/indianinsightnews.com\/?p=5145\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tripura BJP Slams Opposition's "Baseless Propaganda" Against Smart Meters, Alleges Anti-Development Agenda. - INDIANINSIGHT NEWS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"AGARTALA, Tripura – Tripura BJP president and Rajya Sabha MP, Rajib Bhattacharya, on Sunday launched a strong offensive against opposition parties, particularly the CPI(M) and Congress, accusing them of running a “malicious campaign” against the state government’s initiative to install smart electric meters. 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