Congress leader and MLA Sudip Roy Barman even alleged that the move was highly suspicious and he smacked of backdoor financial corruption in the whole gamut. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
CPI(M) and Congress have alleged that the Tripura Government is playing with the future of the students and youths, as the latter contemplated allowing “bogus” institutions to run private universities in the State. Opposition members staged a walkout after bills concerning the setting up of three universities were adopted by majority votes in the State Assembly on Friday (March 20, 2026).
Congress leader and MLA Sudip Roy Barman even alleged that the move was highly suspicious and he smacked of backdoor financial corruption in the whole gamut. He said the Opposition had no reason to oppose if the acclaimed and bona-fide institutions were given permission.
The leader of the Opposition, Jitendra Chowdhury, alleged that the addresses and contact numbers of the institutions were found to be not genuine. “The phone number provided by an applicant’s private university is the number of a plywood factory. imagine the extent of the forgery,” he told journalists at the Assembly premises after the walkout.
The treasury Bench introduced three bills for setting up three separate universities, namely ‘Science Technology and Allied Skill University’, ‘Atal Behari Vajpayee Skill University’ and ‘International University’. He said as a public representative, they have the duty to protect the interests of people, especially the students.
The private universities, the Science Technology and Allied Skill University, is a small education consultancy firm in a rural town in Uttar Pradesh, while Atal Bihari Vajpayee Skill University can be traced in Sikkim as a low-key institution. The International University has an address at Churachandpur in Manipur, Mr. Chowdhury said, claiming that the Manipur government itself imposed a ban on it.
All of them lack UGC certifications and necessary clearances, it was alleged.
He stated that the State Government would on Monday (March 23, 2026) introduce another bill to allow the setting up of another “Dhanvantari University” in Tripura. “We are not opposed to the expansion of education and study campuses in the State, but they should be made properly with utmost transparency and clarity,” Mr. Chowdhury argued.
Jitendra Chowdhury and Sudip Roy Barman demanded that the bills be sent to the select committee for a complete review and check in public interest.
Published – March 21, 2026 09:22 am IST
