Tripura: Pandemonium prevailed in the Tripura Legislative Assembly on the final day of the three-day Monsoon session on Friday, with opposition parties staging a walkout over the ‘Tripura Santiniketan Medical College’ issue. The uproar erupted after a discussion on a Calling Attention Notice submitted by Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman, titled “Regarding permission by the Government of Tripura to use Referral Hospital (IGM) as a Teaching Hospital by Tripura Santiniketan Medical College.”
Roy Barman expressed strong reservations about the college’s owner, citing the “unreputed” record of the West Bengal-based Santiniketan Medical College in Bolpur. Responding to the notice, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, who also holds the Health portfolio, defended the government’s decision. He explained that using government hospitals for training purposes by private medical colleges has precedents in Tripura and other cities, citing specific examples. Dr. Saha further referred to the Medical College Establishment Rules of 1999 and the National Medical Commission Guidelines of 2023, stating that these rules and guidelines permit the government to allow private medical colleges to use government hospitals for educational purposes through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). Roy Barman, however, proposed forming a Joint Legislative Committee to examine all aspects of the ‘Tripura Santiniketan Medical College’ and prepare a comprehensive report to “help” the Chief Minister in monitoring the college’s functioning. Leader of the Opposition, Jitendra Choudhary, supported this demand. Despite the proposal, Dr. Saha did not comment on the formation of a Joint Legislative Committee.
As the second session began, Roy Barman continued to press the Speaker for a response from Dr. Saha on the committee’s formation. When the Speaker denied his request, CPIM and Congress MLAs rushed to the well of the House, shouting slogans demanding the establishment of a Joint Legislative Committee.