Agartala, December 18:
Ruling NDA alliance BJP’s junior partner TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma on Thursday launched a sharp political offensive against the BJP, asserting that the indigenous people of Tripura would “teach a lesson” to parties attempting to break their unity and declaring that the next Chief Minister of Tripura in 2028 will be from the indigenous community.
Addressing a massive public gathering at Kowaifang under Shantirbazar subdivision in South Tripura district, Debbarma, without naming the BJP, alleged that efforts were underway to weaken the “Thansa” (unity) of the indigenous people using money and inducements.
He urged tribal voters to accept any such offers but to vote decisively for the regional party TIPRA Motha during elections.
Targeting Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha’s recent claim that the BJP would capture all 28 seats of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Debbarma remarked, “Only outsiders capture, not Tiprasas. The TTAADC will be won by TIPRA Motha, and in the 2028 Assembly elections, the Chief Minister of Tripura will be a tribal. I can give this in writing.”
Amid visible strains between the two NDA alliance partners, Debbarma said TIPRA Motha knows how to “repay bricks with stones”, warning that attempts to undermine his party would be met politically.
He recalled that neither the British nor the Mughals could break the unity of Tripura’s indigenous people during the princely era, but alleged that certain political forces were now trying to do so and would face the consequences in the upcoming polls.
Hitting out at what he described as double standards, the TIPRA Motha chief said his party was branded as “rowdy” for raising issues of tribal rights, language, and future, while leaders of parties whose ministers allegedly made inflammatory remarks against indigenous people were termed “gentlemen.”
He further alleged that the BJP had first weakened IPFT, later turned it into an ally, and now viewed TIPRA Motha as an enemy. “Earlier CPIM was their enemy, then IPFT, and now TIPRA Motha. The truth is, their greed is their real enemy,” he said.
Debbarma also strongly criticised Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha’s recent statement rejecting the Roman script for Kokborok, calling it totally unacceptable. Questioning the logic behind the argument, he said if Roman script was unacceptable because of British rule, then it was equally unjustifiable for Ministers’ and MLAs’ children to study in English-medium schools while poor indigenous children were confined to Bengali-medium education.
Reiterating his resolve, Debbarma said the coming elections would be decisive and would reaffirm indigenous unity, political assertion, and leadership in Tripura.
