Former Tripura CM Manik Sarkar launches tirade against Tipra Motha for joining state govt, says Pradyot Kishore has been unmasked

Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma went live on social media and claimed that his party would continue to raise tribal issues including the Greater Tipraland demand

Former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar. (Express file photo by Abhisek Saha)

3 min readAgartalaMar 8, 2024 10:16 PM IST First published on: Mar 8, 2024 at 10:16 PM IST

Former Tripura chief minister Manik Sarkar on Friday criticised Tipra Motha for joining the BJP-led state government.

Speaking to reporters at the CPI(M) state headquarters in Agartala, Sarkar said, “Tipra Motha founder (Pradyot Kishore) was about to start a fast unto death. Then… he received a call from Delhi, and he fled to Delhi leaving the protest site. A tripartite agreement was signed after a few days… It was said that a committee would be formed as per the accord which would examine the issues raised, and it would submit its recommendations, but till then none of the signatories can start any movement.”

“We thought that the Tipra Motha would at least wait for the recommendations… The way people fought for Greater Tipraland and the way they supported it, we were surprised to see that the agreement said they wouldn’t be able to hold agitations. It surprised us and we suspected that some hidden conditions weren’t revealed,” the former CM added.

Also read | Meet Animesh Debbarma & Brishaketu Debbarma, the TIPRA Motha MLAs sworn in as Tripura ministers

Sarkar claimed that by joining the BJP-led cabinet, Motha has “completed a circle and revealed its true face.”

“During last year’s Assembly elections, the Motha publicly spoke against the BJP but maintained clandestine links with them. They helped the BJP return to power despite it having no prospect of coming back to power,” Sarkar said, adding that the sole purpose of the Motha was to divide the tribal and non-tribal vote and thereby help the BJP retain power.

Citing the examples of the Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti (TUJS), which ruled Tripura in alliance with the Congress from 1988-93, and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, which is a constituent of the ruling alliance, Sarkar said the Tipra Motha’s political journey over the last three years since its inception was “not surprising”.

“We are not surprised with the fact that they joined the cabinet. What was supposed to happen, has happened. This was bound to happen. People saw the TUJS, and the IPFT earlier. He (Pradyot Kishore) has been thoroughly unmasked. He should try to explain his point to his supporters. He is facing a lot of trouble in keeping his supporters together,” Sarkar said.

Talking about the CPI(M)’s political strategy in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, he said, “We are in the INDIA alliance. We paired up with the Congress in 2023. They (some Congress leaders) helped the BJP to come to power. But we fought the state elections in alliance with them. To ensure the BJP’s defeat, we want to team up with all secular, democratic forces that are serious about defeating the BJP.”

Meanwhile, soon after Sarkar launched his tirade against the Tipra Motha, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma went live on social media and claimed that his party would continue to raise tribal issues including the Greater Tipraland demand. He said the two newly inducted Tipra Motha ministers would quit their ministerial posts if the government did not work for the benefit of tribals. Attacking the CPI(M), he said the Left did not do much for the tribals when it was in power.