How Congress has scraped back into Tripura politics, with some royal help

Royal rise

Congress now claims over 30,000 people have joined the party in the last few weeks. This sudden, almost meteoric, the rise can be attributed to two major reasons: the royal factor and frustration over BJP’s rule in the state.

Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debburman, incumbent state Congress president, is a first timer in active politics. But it helps that he is also the scion of Tripura’s Manikya dynasty and both his parents served as Congress MPs. His mother and ‘Rajmata’ Bibhu Kumari Devi served as minister in the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti (TUJS) coalition government from 1988. Pradyot’s father, the late ‘Maharaja’ Kirit Bikram Kishore, was elected thrice from East Tripura Lok Sabha seat in 1967, 1977 and 1989. His mother Bibhu Kumari Devi won from the seat in 1991.

Pradyot’s ‘Poila Jati..’ slogan took Tripura by the storm and IPFT’s aggrieved supporter base fell away like dominoes. (Source: Twitter/@PradyotManikya)

Pradyot, who has been working president since 2014, was chosen state Congress president this February this year. After joining as Congress chief, Pradyot’s first job was to get all aggrieved leaders back on board. “I promised to give respect and ensure dignity for all leaders who were estranged from Congress due to one reason or the other. Our main agenda was to build a movement against BJP and ensure their defeat in Lok Sabha elections. People have joined us in large numbers from BJP, IPFT and CPI (M),” Pradyot told indianexpress.com.

Congress has also been able to cash in on the growing frustration within cadres of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT). An ally of the ruling BJP, the party surfaced in 2009 under Narendra Chandra Debbarma with the slogan of ‘Tipraland’ – a proposed separate state for tribals which would be formed with areas under Tripura ADC, effectively comprising two third of Tripura’s geographical area. Since the BJP-IPFT coalition came to power last March, the tribal party has been increasingly silent on its statehood demand.

Identity politics

Come 2019, entire Northeast India is boiling with protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill. Pradyot, who was not yet appointed President of Congress in Tripura, went ahead and coined a slogan – ‘Poila Jati, Ulo Party’. The slogans appealed people to put ‘Jati’ or identity first and party later in protesting the citizenship amendment bill.

Congress has also been able to cash in on the growing frustration within cadres of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT). (Source: Twitter/@PradyotManikya)

Pradyot’s ‘Poila Jati..’ slogan took Tripura by the storm and IPFT’s aggrieved supporter base fell away like dominoes. BJP, CPI (M) and IPFT got busy blaming each other for the mass exodus into Congress but not one of them denied the fact that Congress support based has swelled up.

Tripura Congress vice-president and Pradyot’s close associate Tapas Dey thinks there is more to this revival. “The BJP government in Tripura promised at least one job in every household, higher MGNREGA wage rates, higher social security pension, free smartphones for all youths, 7th Central Pay Commission benefits and what not. Now they are asking people to rear cattle and poultry birds, sell eggs and fry pakoda. People have seen their true face and now come to us,” Dey said.

The 75-year-old also feels Pradyot’s royal factor attracts tribal voters — 20 out of the state’s 60 Assembly seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe (ST) candidates. Ruling BJP and IPFT won in 18 of these seats in 2018. Dey claims voters is all 20 seats now favour Pradyot. There are 16 other seats with significant tribal voters, he reminded.

Political reorganisation

Senior Congress leaders like former chief minister Samir Ranjan Barman, former MLAs Gopal Chandra Roy and Birajit Sinha, who had hung their boots, have returned to the party office. Estranged leaders like former minister Prakash Das and Subal Bhowmik, who was BJP’s state vice-president till last month, have rejoined too.

Pradyot’s rise in the Congress has been accompanied by a suspicious silence from the CPI (M) party. And in their bid to defeat the BJP, the two long-standing rivals seems to have come together. The understanding was so visible that CPI (M) took to the streets when Congress Lok Sabha candidates were attacked during election rallies.

Not as straight as it seems

Hit by this swelling popularity of the Congress, the IPFT has hit out at Pradyot saying he bribed leaders from the tribal party. “Pradyot Kishore is bribing people from our party to join Congress. Everyone who joined them has gone in exchange of money. I have proof. This is gross violation of election code of conduct. The authorities must take action,” IPFT supremo NC Debbarma said.

Now with election to the East Tripura constituency being postponed to April 23, Congress has run into some rough weather. Congress candidate Pragya Debburman’s motorcade purportedly came under attack on her way back from a public meeting at Khowai district, 65 km from Agartala city. The attacker was handed over to a local police station where her Pradyot, who is the candidate’s brother, slapped him.

The BJP has been cashing in on the CCTV footage, procured through mysterious means from the police station, and Pradyot has been called ‘anti-tribal’, ‘dangerous’ and other names. “My sister was attacked. I did what I did. If they want to put me in jail, let them put me in jail. I shall not even seek a bail,” was his curt reply.

Pradyot’s political acumen will now have to stand the scrutiny of the voters and he will have to hope his slap does not come in the way of his success.