‘Congress sacrificed Tripura to communists since they had to win elsewhere’: Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma

Pradyot’s party, which had earlier campaigned against the BJP, joined hands with the BJP-led state government soon after TIPRA Motha signed a tripartite agreement with the central and state governments earlier this month for an “honourable solution” to all problems faced by the tribals.

While the party has not put up any candidate in the Lok Sabha polls, Kriti Singh Debbarma, Pradyot Kishore’s sister and younger daughter, was fielded by the BJP as its candidate.

Speaking at the BJP Janajati Morcha event this evening, Debbarma on Saturday said BJP’s two Lok Sabha candidates – Biplab Kumar Deb and Pradyot’s sister Kriti Singh Debbarma — would do Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas in its true sense if voted to victory.

Attacking the Congress he said, “I was in Congress. They (Left) ruled for 25 years. We felt like we would in 2008 and 2013 but didn’t win. Why didn’t we (formerly when he was in Congress) win? Now we understand the Romeo-Juliet love which was going on hidden away from the public eye. Congress imposed President’s Rule in 1993 despite having its own government in the Centre and the state to make way for the CPI(M). In 2008, PM Manmohan Singh didn’t campaign here. In 2013, neither did Sonia Gandhi nor did Singh come to campaign here. It means they had to win somewhere else and so, they sacrificed Tripura.”

He also alleged that the tribals were kept poor in the 25 years of Communist rule from 1993-2018 and said the BJP’s West Tripura Lok Sabha candidate and former CM Biplab Kumar Deb “really loves” tribals.

Pradyot Kishore cited the 2020 Bru migrant permanent resettlement agreement and said Deb had started working for the same months ahead of the signing of the deal.

“He has love for us in his heart. We are lucky and fortunate that we are sending two representatives from West Tripura and East Tripura seats who would do Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas in its true sense. Problems happen sometimes on ground but if leaders in the top want to do something good, people below can’t do the opposite,” he said.

In his speech, Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha said development of tribals can be done with the help of Prime Minister Modi alone and said tribal political parties like the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) and TIPRA Motha, which earlier raised different demands, have now come together with the BJP since they have realised that the tribals can be developed with the BJP alone.

Saha slammed the CPI(M) and Congress parties and said, “The CPI(M) is a party of murder and terror and Congress is a party of chaos. Some Congress leaders sit in front of Congress Bhawan and speak nuisance. They also heap dirt on the head of their leader.”

Saha’s comments were in reference to past factional squabbles within the Congress, as a part of which human excreta was thrown at a leader.

He added, “In the BJP, everybody will have to accept any responsibility when given by the party. Who is the CM or MP is unimportant. Everyone is a karyakarta. We want to build Ek Tripura, Srestha Tripura with the tribals and non-tribals together.”

Terming the Congress and the CPI(M) as an “unholy force”, Saha said, “The two parties shared bitter rivalry in the past and many houses were burnt. Congress supporters were murdered and raped by the Communists. Their alliance would not be accepted by the people.”

Meanwhile, Deb asked his party supporters to ask people to give “blessings and love” to him and the other BJP candidate when party workers reach out for door-to-door campaigns. “We need blessings, we don’t need anyone’s vote by force. We don’t want to go into fights. We should unite and ensure victory in both the seats,” Deb said.

He criticised the communist party over its tribal policies and said, “They are communists first and citizens of this country and state later. This is the habit of communists. They can never belong to this nation and this soil. Tribal brethren are sons of the soil.”

BJP candidate and member of the Tripura erstwhile royal family Kriti Singh Debbarma said she would be fighting the election in Tripura for the first time but expressed confidence of working for the development of everyone if voted to victory.

She appealed for unity and peace and said, “I don’t want any of our brothers and sisters to fight each other for small things. We should fight together against our opponents who will say many things about us. But we are Hindustanis (Indian) above all. This is my (birth) place, I was born here and I shall try to make sure you don’t face any problems; you are all brothers and sisters.”

She added, “We shall deliver such a vote count that we are able to make a record. We shall work together but we want no fighting. We have to work together for a better and more powerful Tripura.”