Agartala, February 6:
Cracks within Tripura’s ruling NDA alliance surfaced sharply on Friday as junior partner TIPRA Motha mounted a strong offensive against the BJP-led state government over the alleged inclusion of Sixth Schedule areas under the newly notified Bishramganj Nagar Panchayat, terming it an “illegal encroachment” on the powers and land of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
The confrontation comes barely two months before the crucial TTAADC elections, raising political temperatures and exposing growing distrust between the alliance partners.
TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, accompanied by TTAADC Chief Executive Member Purna Chandra Jamatia, former CEO C.K. Jamatia and party leaders, met Sepahijala district officials led by SDM Bishramganj Binky Saha, who also serves as the Executive Officer of the Bishramganj Nagar Panchayat.
The delegation during the meeting held in the government Dak Banglow at Bishramganj, sought clarification on the demarcation of boundaries after alleging that nearly 30 per cent of the notified municipal area falls within ADC jurisdiction.
After the meeting, Pradyot, also the chairman of the Advisory and Administrative Reforms Committee (AARC) of TTAADC, launched a blistering attack on the administration, accusing it of functioning without proper maps and relying on “natural boundaries” and voter rolls to justify the expansion.
“We have made it very clear that we will not allow ADC land to be encroached upon in the name of the Nagar Panchayat. Holding elections in an ADC area does not mean the land can be handed over like that,” he said.
Claiming that the expansion violates constitutional safeguards granted under the Sixth Schedule, the TIPRA chief warned of a legal confrontation.
“We will not give even an inch of ADC land if the expansion is illegal. The affected people will move court through a Public Interest Litigation, and we will fully support them,” he asserted.
Debbarma, also the royal family head of Tripura, further alleged that the administration failed to provide a legally sanctioned map and instead treated the municipal election process as the final authority for boundary determination.
“How can you shrink tribal areas without legal justification? Nearly 30 per cent of the area has been taken without any basis,” he said.
Without directly naming the BJP, Pradyot accused the government of continuing “old communist-era policies” despite the change in regime.
“The government may have changed, but the thought process has not changed,” he remarked.
Pradyot, also dismissed suggestions that the protest was politically motivated, urging people not to view the issue through a tribal-versus-non-tribal lens.
“This is not about politics or community. This is about constitutional rights and our survival. Nagar Panchayat should remain Nagar Panchayat and ADC should remain ADC,” he said.
However, SDM Bishramganj Binky Saha admitted that the administration was unable to produce any official map during the meeting clearly demarcating the boundaries between the Gram Panchayat (GP) areas and Village Committee (VC) areas.
She said the district authorities would formally approach the Directorate of Land Records and Settlement — the custodian of all official maps — following which a joint demarcation exercise would be carried out on the ground.
She clarified that the newly notified Nagar Panchayat boundaries were drawn based on the Panchayat Department’s notification and existing natural boundaries, and only Gram Panchayat areas were included, while no Village Committee areas under the TTAADC were incorporated.
At the same time, Saha acknowledged that the Directorate of Land Records and Settlement currently does not possess a separate map clearly distinguishing TTAADC and non-TTAADC jurisdictions.
Earlier, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha sought to downplay the controversy, asserting that no land had been acquired and alleging that “some people” were attempting to create confusion among the public.
He maintained that the decision to notify the Nagar Panchayat was taken after detailed discussions and insisted that only Gram Panchayat areas were included, with no land falling under Village Committees or the TTAADC brought within the civic body’s limits.
The contrasting positions have fuelled speculation of mounting friction within the BJP–TIPRA Motha alliance, thought both claimed to safeguard tribal interests.
However, the dispute could significantly impact the upcoming ADC elections, with TIPRA Motha expected to sharpen its campaign around issues of land rights and autonomy.
The latest episode signals that the alliance partners are increasingly at odds, turning Bishramganj into a fresh flashpoint in Tripura’s evolving political landscape.
