Agartala, September 11: The death of veteran politician Tapas Dey on Friday brought tributes from across Tripura’s political spectrum, with leaders recalling his decades-long association with public life and social service. Dey, a former Congress MLA, was 84.
Dey died at around 1:45 am at GBP Hospital in Agartala after a prolonged illness.
Chief Minister Prof. (Dr.) Manik Saha mourned his death and remembered him as an experienced politician and distinguished social worker. Saha said Dey had made a valuable contribution to the public life of Tripura and expressed his condolences to the bereaved family.
Minister Ratan Lal Nath, Agartala Mayor Dipak Majumder and former Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik also paid tribute to the veteran leader.
Former Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma recalled a personal association with Dey, describing him as the first political mentor who guided him in understanding Tripura’s history and politics.
Pradyot asked party workers to observe a minute’s silence and keep the Tipra Motha flag at half-mast in Dey’s memory. He said his mother, Rajmata Bibhu Devi, also joined him in mourning the veteran politician and conveyed her condolences to the family.
Dey’s journey in Tripura began in 1965, when he came to the state as a refugee from East Pakistan. His entry into public life came through student politics. While studying at Tripura Polytechnic and Ram Thakur College, he served as General Secretary and gradually became active in the state’s political affairs.
A significant milestone came in 1972, when Dey won the Shalgara Assembly constituency. His victory brought him into the Tripura Legislative Assembly at a relatively young age, with the result announced over All India Radio.
The Congress remained a major part of his political career. Dey was closely associated with veteran Congress leader Priyadas Chakraborty before subsequently moving to the Tripura Democratic Front and later joining the political fold of Tipra Motha.
His political engagement continued well into his eighties. In 2023, at the age of 81, he contested the Tripura Assembly elections as a Tipra Motha candidate.
Dey’s mortal remains were taken to prominent public institutions on Saturday, allowing people from different sections of society to pay their final respects.
At the Tripura Legislative Assembly, Congress state president Asish Kumar Saha, Speaker Rampada Jamatia and other legislators paid homage to the former legislator.
The mortal remains were then taken to the Agartala Press Club, where journalists, political leaders and admirers gathered to remember him.
The final public homage was held at the Rajbari. Tipra Motha workers and supporters, led by CEM Runiel Debbarma, gathered there to pay their last respects.
Dey’s political career, which began in the post-Partition years, spanned more than five decades and covered several major phases in Tripura’s political evolution.
