Congress accuses Tipra Motha of playing with sentiments of tribals of Tripura

Calling for a “boycott of the Tipra Motha party and the BJP, the leader asked the people to vote for the Congress in the Lok Sabha polls.

Debbarma, before joining hands with the BJP, had raised demands of a separate Greater Tipraland state for the tribals and had coined slogans like ‘Puila Jati Ulo party’ (community first, party later) in the indigenous Kokborok language).

Citing such examples and pointing at the tripartite agreement between Centre, state government and Tipra Motha, Barman said, “A bogus paper was shown while saying tribals have got their rights. I want to ask Tiprasa people, what is in the bogus piece of paper that is being shown while saying “mil gaya”? If anyone tries to sell Tiprasa (tribals of Tripura) and look after their own interests, they don’t want the wellbeing of Tiprasa.”

Roy Barman added, “Tiprasa has been mis-utilised. They were used…their emotion…I feel they were blackmailed. Tipra Motha has ditched the interests of the Adivasi people and indigenous people of Tripura.”

He further said, “The BJP was successful in their conspiracy to crush Pradyot Kishore Debbarma and his party.”

On Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma’s sister being given a BJP ticket

Referring to Debbarma’s sister Kriti Singh Debbarma, who is contesting as a Tipra Motha-supported BJP candidate from the East Tripura ST-reserved Lok Sabha constituency, Barman said, “She doesn’t live in Tripura. She is a resident of Chhattisgarh. What does she know about the problems faced by the Reangs, Jamatias, Chakmas, Tripuris, Mogs and other sub-tribes of the state? What is the guarantee that if elected, she will stay here? There is no guarantee.”

The Congress leader said if elected to power, his party will grant adequate political and economic resources and urged the tribals to join Congress.

Barman said state minister and sitting MP from West Tripura Parliamentary constituency Pratima Bhoumik contested and won from the Dhanpur Assembly constituency and yet, she had to resign. “She was dropped from the list of candidates along with Rebati Tripura, who won on a BJP ticket from the East Tripura seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. I demand the BJP to clarify why they were dropped.”

He further said it was a “deal finalised in Dubai” to have Debbarma’s sister contest from the East Tripura Lok Sabha constituency.

Without specifying further details, Barman alleged that Debbarma and BJP’s Biplab Kumar Deb had visited Dubai along with two other people and had finalised the deal there.

On what Congress did for the country

Citing formation of the Tripura ADC on August 23, 1984 under the sixth schedule of Constitution during the tenure of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, TNV agreement for ensuring peace, law and order and the rise of tribal-reserved seats during the tenure of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and introduction of the MGNREGA during the UPA I, Barman said, “All welfare schemes, including food security, health rights, right to education, were introduced during the Congress regime.”

On Kokborok and CAA

On the Kokborok script issue, Barman said Congress supports the Roman script for Kokborok language demand.

On the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the Congress leader said it would further alienate tribals in a state like Tripura, where they have already gone from being majority to being minority. He also accused Debbarma of using “double standards” in politics over his stand on the CAA and said Tipra Motha was floated after a movement against the CAA in 2019 was met with police firing at Madhabbari in West Tripura district.

What Pradyot Kishore said

Debbarma, who returned to the state along with his sister, said she was made a candidate since agreements in the past had often faltered during the implementation and so, someone like his sister was needed to be in Delhi for the smooth implementation of the tripartite accord.

Speaking about allegations levelled by the CPIM and Congress, Debbarma said, “These parties had earlier neglected the rights of the tribals during their respective tenures in the state governments. Anyone can criticise my decision of joining hands with the BJP and putting up my sister as a candidate but I will continue to say the move was necessitated for the welfare of the tribals of the state.”

He also accused both CPI(M) and Congress of lack of support during the anti-CAA protests and said “they had prioritised political interests over tribal welfare”.

Clarifying his stand on the CAA, Debbarma said his case relating to the Act is still pending in the apex court. Debbarma had earlier filed cases with the Supreme Court against the CAA, seeking implementation of the NRC in Tripura.

He expressed hopes that the Supreme Court would address concerns voiced from Tripura when the case would be heard next, especially on issues of land rights and exemptions for tribal areas from the ambit of the CAA.

Speaking to reporters, Kriti Singh Debbarma said she would give her best effort for the development of Tripura and fulfillment of collective goals.

Kriti Singh Debbarma, who is a ‘Maharajkumari’ or princess of the erstwhile Manikya royal family, is the youngest daughter of Late Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya – Pradyot’s father. She currently manages a Heritage Hotel – Palace Kawardha at Kawardha in Chhattisgarh, where she is married to Yogeshwar Raj Singh, who is the royal scion of the erstwhile Kawardha Raj royal family in Chhattisgarh.

She never contested any election from Tripura but once contested as an Independent candidate in the Chhattisgarh Assembly election in 2018.