Agartala, April 7:
In a sharp escalation of political rhetoric ahead of the April 12 elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma launched a direct attack on Chief Minister Manik Saha, alleging that the latter is “misguided” and targeting alliance partner Motha instead of confronting the opposition CPI(M).
Addressing a gathering, Pradyot questioned the Chief Minister’s political priorities, asserting that Saha had “not attacked the Communist Party even once” while engaging in repeated confrontations with TIPRA Motha.
“It appears he has been misled by certain individuals. His focus should have been on the CPI(M), which is regaining strength. If that continues, Motha alone cannot safeguard BJP,” he said.
Framing the electoral battle in stark socio-political terms, the Motha chief declared, “This time, the fight is between India’s richest party, the BJP, and the poorest party, TIPRA Motha.”
He claimed that financial muscle was being deployed to influence the ADC polls, but maintained that “the poor Tiprasa people will deliver a strong reply on April 12.”
At the heart of his attack was a serious allegation against the state government over the perceived dilution of tribal identity within the ADC framework.
Referring to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, which administers nearly 70 percent of the state’s geographical area, Pradyot alleged that attempts were being made to erase the very basis of its creation.
“Even the word ‘tribal’ is being removed, and ‘autonomous’ is being diluted. What message is the government trying to send? That the ADC no longer belongs to the Tiprasa people?” he asked.
Despite the intensifying political confrontation, Pradyot struck a conciliatory note on social harmony, cautioning against violence and communal divisions.
He urged people across communities—Tiprasa, Bengali, Hindu, Muslim, Christian—to remain united and not fall prey to divisive narratives. “Loving your own people does not require hatred toward others. Violence will not take us anywhere,” he said.
Pradyot also flagged persistent governance challenges, including lack of drinking water, poor rural roads, and incomplete infrastructure projects, alleging a wide gap between official claims and ground realities.
Without naming individuals, he hinted that “one or two persons” within the system were obstructing development, while acknowledging that “there are good people within the government.”
As campaigning intensifies, the unusual spectacle of alliance partners BJP and TIPRA Motha trading barbs and setting competing narratives has added a new layer of uncertainty to the high-stakes TTAADC polls.
With both sides seeking to consolidate support among indigenous voters, the outcome on April 12 is expected to carry significant political implications for Tripura’s evolving power dynamics.
