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Journalism of Courage
Amid appeals from Opposition parties like the CPI(M) and the Congress to form an alliance with them for the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections, the TIPRA Motha has started talks of a merger with the state’s ruling alliance constituent Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT).
A delegation led by IPFT president Prem Kumar Reang, who is also a minister in the BJP-led state government, started the talks with Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore at a Guwahati-based hotel Saturday.
Speaking to reporters, Reang said: “The IPFT is an alliance partner of the BJP. We are still in the alliance… Our main demand has been Tipraland or a separate state since 2009. We allied with the BJP in 2018 and won… Bubagra (Pradyot Kishore) is working hard to save dofa (community) and Tiprasa (tribals)… Supporting him is very important now. We have… started the process of fighting the 2023 assembly elections with him.”
Bubagra means king in the state’s indigenous Kokborok language and is used to refer to Pradyot Kishore, who is the head of Tripura’s erstwhile royal family. His parents – Late Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma and ‘Rajmata’ Bibhu Kumari Devi – were Congress parliamentarians. Bibhu Kumari Devi also served as a minister in the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti (TUJS) coalition-led state government from 1988-93.
Criticising the Centre on the Tipraland issue, Reang said: “Nobody is fulfilling our demand. We shall fight together (with anyone) to realise our demand. We raised the Tipraland demand in the state assembly. In each session, our MLAs or ministers raised the demand. But the Centre is not giving any response. The state government can’t grant the demand, the Union government can… but they didn’t even discuss it.”
Stating that joining hands with TIPRA Motha would be beneficial for the IPFT, Reang said: “If we fight together (with Motha), it will be beneficial for us and Tiprasa. Maharaj (Pradyot Kishore) wrote to us with this idea and we have decided to stand by him.”
The comments came four days after the IPFT responded to Motha’s proposal of merger “in any form” and welcomed the opportunity to meet Pradyot Kishore to discuss a “broad range of issues of common interest”.
In his letter to the IPFT, Pradyot Kishore proposed a union of the two parties for the “unity of Tiprasas for survival and existence”.
Talking about the proposed merger, Pradyot Kishore said: “We have both agreed to start the process of becoming a single party fighting under a single flag and symbol against anyone opposed to our constitutional demand of Greater Tipraland. The process has started today; very soon we will be going back to Agartala.”
He informed Motha president Bijoy Hrangkhawl, senior leaders Jagadish Debbarma, and Chittaranjan Debbarma, among others, joined the merger talks. Pradyot Kishore further said: “We shall all sit down and jointly announce to the people of Tripura who actually want thansa (unity). Eventually, parties are not as important as the will of the people.”
In sync with his previous comments that Motha is ready to merge with the IPFT “in any form”, Pradyot Kishore Saturday said: “About 2.5 years ago, there were as many as 10-11 (tribal) parties (in Tripura). Today, with us (Motha and IPFT) coming together, we shall be speaking in one voice because our demands are the same. Our movements are almost the same. So why can’t we come together and make New Delhi listen to our genuine demand for a Constitutional solution!”
Speaking on the prospects of forming a pre-poll alliance with other political parties in Tripura, Pradyot Kishore reiterated that no alliance would be formed without a written agreement on Motha’s core ‘Greater Tipraland’ demand. He said, “They have all approached us — Congress, CPI(M), BJP, etc. Our point is clear – we can’t lie to our people. Our people have suffered for over 70 years and we have said very clearly that we want a constitutional solution in writing. Without them giving us a constitutional solution in writing, we shall not ally with any political party because we can’t betray our people.”
“For far too long, parties have verbally promised us and then let us down after the elections. This time, we aren’t prepared to take anything less than a written assurance from the Government of India or any political party – be it the Left or the Congress,” he added.
Pradyot Kishore said in case no party agrees to provide him with a written agreement on the statehood demand, his party would fight the elections alone.
He claimed the Motha has also been getting support from non-tribals, especially people from the Bengali, Muslim, Manipuri, and Bishnupriya Manipuri communities.
Notably, Pradyot Kishore also held meetings with Assam Chief Minister and North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) chief Himanta Biswa Sarma in the last few days and tabled similar proposals for Greater Tipraland.
Meanwhile, the Congress and the CPI(M) have struck an alliance and are reportedly in the final stages of their seat-sharing talks.
The polls for the 60-member Tripura Assembly will be conducted in a single phase on February 16. The counting of votes will be held on March 2.
