Agartala, August 17:
TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma on Monday signalled that his party could reconsider its alliance with the BJP, saying he would be forced to “go his separate way” if the Tipraha Accord is not implemented and the constitutional rights promised to the indigenous people of Tripura are not delivered.
Debbarma made the remarks while speaking to reporters in the sidelines of addressing an extended meeting of TIPRA Motha leaders, MLAs, MDCs and other senior functionaries in Agartala.
The meeting assumes significance following the failure of the recent discussions between senior leaders of the BJP and TIPRA Motha in New Delhi over a possible joint strategy for the forthcoming Village Council elections.
The TIPRA Motha chief said the primary issue before his party was not positions or financial benefits for its elected representatives, but implementation of the Tripartite Agreement, which he said had remained unfulfilled despite the passage of more than two-and-a-half years.
“I am very clear. If these people are serious, they should implement the Tipraha Accord,” Debbarma said, adding that he had “a lot of respect” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. However, he warned that failure to implement the agreement would force his party to decide its “next course of action”.
Debbarma said he had convened the extended meeting because he had been away from Tripura for personal treatment and several developments had taken place during his absence. He said there were issues that needed to be clarified within the party before they could be communicated to people on the ground.
Taking an apparent swipe at attempts to accommodate individual leaders, Debbarma said he could not seek benefits for his MLAs, MDCs or other leaders while ignoring the people whose support had brought the party to its present position.
He also revived his allegation that the BJP had attempted to weaken TIPRA Motha during the recent elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
According to Debbarma, efforts were made to break his party, with some MLAs and MDCs allegedly being approached and a few leaving the party.
“I am ready to forget all the personal attacks against me if you give our Tiprasa people their constitutional rights through the Tipraha Accord,” he said.
Debbarma rejected the idea that a limited political settlement could resolve the issue, arguing that appointing a few leaders to positions, offering ministerial posts or providing a one-time financial package would not address the concerns of the wider indigenous population.
“You can make 10-15 people happy, but 14 lakh people will remain where they were,” he said, asserting that he had not entered politics for money.
His remarks have injected fresh uncertainty into the BJP-TIPRA Motha alliance at a time when both parties are seeking to work out an arrangement for the Village Council elections. The Monday meeting is expected to determine the political course the regional party adopts amid growing frustration over the delay in implementing the Tipraha Accord.
Debbarma ended with a pointed warning: if the constitutional rights sought under the agreement were not delivered, “I will go my separate way.”
