This story is from June 2, 2019

Tripura health minister sacked for criticizing Biplab and government

Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has dropped heath minister Sudip Roy Barman from the state cabinet on charges of opposing Deb and criticising the government on several occasions.
Tripura health minister sacked for criticizing Biplab and government
Sudip Roy Barman
AGARTALA: Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb has dropped heath minister Sudip Roy Barman from the state cabinet on charges of opposing Deb and criticising the government on several occasions.
Exactly a week ago, Deb removed chief secretary LK Gupta. At present, CM's principal secretary Kumar Alok has been given the charge.
The notification issued by the chief secretary on Friday night reads, "The governor, with the advice of chief minister, ceased Sudip Roy Barman to be a member of the council of ministers." His portfolios of health, drinking water and sanitation and IT will be looked after by the CM.
Deputy CM Jishnu Dev Varma will look after science, technology and environment.
With Roy Barman's exclusion, the size of the state cabinet has reduced to eight members.
Differences between the CM and the heath minister first developed last year when Roy Barman convened a meeting of all block-level officers and executives of the city and towns on drinking water and sanitation without consulting the CM. Finally, at the instruction of Deb, his principal secretary and present chief secretary (in-charge) Kumar Alok had stopped field-level officers from attending the meeting at the eleventh hour by sending text messages. This further widened the rift. Roy Barman, however, accused Alok of misguiding the chief minister to create differences in the cabinet and had termed him as a 'black sheep' in the administration.

The chief minister, on the other hand, reviewed the activities of the departments Roy Barman was looking after without inviting the minister concerned a number of times. Gradually, the interactions between Deb and the Roy Burman became very infrequent and formal. Sources said the chief minister was also told that the health minister was allegedly working against him and BJP.
Roy Barman, despite being the committee member of BJP the West Tripura Lok Sabha, was hardly seen holding political meetings. A day before the first phase of polls on April 11, an on-duty doctor of the state referral hospital was attacked after which doctors launched a movement seeking security. Questioning the law and order situation in the state, Roy Barman went a step further by giving up his escort. He had stated that he will go around without any security until proper security arrangements were made for doctors.
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