‘If they do not listen to us…’: TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarma’s message after poll results of 5 states

Debbarma’s caution is crucial, especially since his recent statements, including one where his criticism of certain political parties for trying to divide tribals on religious lines, were seen as an effort to pick a side among the national alliances.

In an oblique reference to the denial to consider TIPRA Motha’s demand for a separate tribal statehood by both the BJP and Congress, Debbarma said Tiprasa or tribals of Tripura will not get anything if they think about people who don’t think about them.

“We have to see what is happening in Meghalaya, what is happening in Mizoram where the polls happened or what is happening in Nagaland. We are indigenous people. We need to go forward by keeping in mind tribal politics for the sake of our tribal future, our community,” he said.

Though it isn’t clear if Debbarma wanted to point to the idea that the BJP didn’t win majority in either Meghalaya, Nagaland or Mizoram and needed regional allies to form governments wherever it could, his stress on looking at the prospects of regional tribal political parties instead of national parties is somewhat clear.

He also said both the BJP and Congress lost in Mizoram and said there is no sadness in New Delhi that the parties have lost in the northeast state while there is a sense of loss for the victory and defeat in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

“They don’t bother and we should not bother either,” he said and urged his supporters not to be “disheartened”.

“If you want to become a leader and think about dofa (community), think about yourself and do your politics. You will get respect when you give yourself respect and keep faith in yourself,” he said.

Debbarma also warned the people to stay wary of possible efforts to divide tribals in the name of religion in the coming days, when people would be celebrating Tring (tribal new year) or Christmas and said, “Many people will try to divide us in the name of religion. Do you want to be divided? No. You don’t get divided. You should become united instead. These people are trying to destroy the future of our generation, our children. That’s why we need to become united and speak to New Delhi in one voice, whoever it is in power in Delhi. The day when we get something, we shall listen to their words,” he said.

The royal scion made his party’s stand clear and said, “If they do not listen to us, we shall not listen to them; this is a 100 per cent sure thing.”

Earlier on November 28, marking the beginning of a discussion which is expected to lay the foundations of some landmark decisions for the development of tribals in Tripura, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) Advisor on North-East Affairs A K Mishra met a 15-member delegation of TIPRA Motha and started a dialogue on the latter’s demand for a Greater Tipraland state.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, Debbarma had said his party leaders have submitted their demands to Mishra and have furnished everything about their stand without diluting anything.

“Now the Government of India has to get back to us about what solution they have in mind for the future of Tiprasa. So, the ball is in their court,” he had said.

The meeting was the latest on the lines of other meetings among Motha leaders and the Union Home Ministry.

While the latest meeting with Mishra was a follow-up of the previous meetings, a final discussion is likely before the MHA advisor submits his report to the central government.

TIPRA Motha which was floated in 2021. The party had grounded its political discourse on ethnic identity and claimed tribals were historically deprived by successive governments in the state since the erstwhile princely state merged with the Indian Union in 1949.

It swept the tribal council polls two months after it was floated and has now emerged as the primary Opposition with 13 MLAs in the 60-member Assembly.