Tipra Motha party founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma said Tuesday that a section of leaders do not understand the value of his movement for a Constitutional solution for the tribals in Tripura. Appealing for unity among the people, the leader of Tripura’s prime Opposition party confessed that his fight felt lonely at times. In an audio message to his supporters, the royal scion-turned-politician said, "Delhi will laugh at us if we fight amongst each other. Our people say they were subjugated by this person or that person. Fighting among ourselves, we have given space to others in our own country. Thansa isn't achieved by speaking alone, we need to believe in ourselves. When we are speaking with Delhi, we need to think if infighting will help us or not". ‘Thansa’, which means unity in the state's indigenous Kokborok language, was Motha's main poll slogan in the Assembly elections held in February this year. Though Pradyot did not name anyone in particular, he said that those who want to fight among themselves can do so but those who want to give something to the community, they feel that they are fighting amid a lack of understanding from the leaders. His statements come in the wake of an ongoing dialogue among different tribal stakeholders, including those from his own party and other tribal political parties, tribal clan leaders and others with the central government over demands of a separate tribal state. While Pradyot later clarified in the message that he was referring to himself when he said those who are fighting for the interest of tribals would continue to do so, he did not specify who he was referring to as “leaders without understanding”. "Those who want to give something to the community are fighting, but the leaders themselves don't understand that if we win this fight, our whole community will win, not I alone. They should understand this. Some people with vested interests don't understand this", he said. On a rather emotional note, Pradyot Kishore said that the Tiprasa or tribals of Tripura reposed their faith in him (when they voted for his party in the February Assembly polls) and he believes in them but added that his fight felt lonely at times. "I'm fighting. Sometimes it feels lonely, as if I'm fighting alone but I'm still fighting. I want the grandson of Maharaja Bir Bikram to give something to his people. I don't want to keep anything for myself, but want to give to others. These people tell bogus things on social media, in press conferences. They don't know the future of their children, their next generation… Their life is over but they are trying to destroy the future of their next generation due to greed. We should speak in one voice in front of Delhi or else we shall get nothing. I am appealing to all Tiprasa people to do this," he said. Pradyot's message comes shortly after the CPI(M), which is also in the Opposition in the state, contradicted Motha's dawn-to-dusk strike call for Greater Tipraland on September 30 saying the agitation was meant to divert the attention of people from genuine concerns. However, a group of former Tipraland State Party (TSP) leaders who had merged their party with several other tribal regional parties – like the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), National Conference of Tripura (NCT), Indigenous People's Front of Tripura-Tipraha (IPFT-Tipraha) which was a splinter faction of IPFT (BJP's ruling alliance partner in Tripura in 2021) – to form the TIPRA Motha separated themselves and re-emerged as TSP, accusing the Motha of failure to live up to its promise of a movement on Greater Tipraland. Political watchers also feel that a section of Motha is interested in crossing over from the Opposition and allying with the BJP to join the state government, much against the wishes of Pradyot Kishore who is trying his best to get some statutory benefits from the central government before taking a call on political alliance.
