Agartala, Oct 6: Tripura royal scion and Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Tuesday announced that he would withdraw from active politics from next month, saying the party’s victory in the recently concluded Village Committee elections was not the time for celebration and that the “real celebration” would come only after the Tripura Accord is implemented.
Addressing a live session after the declaration of the Village Committee election results, Debbarma said he would continue to stand with the people and raise his voice whenever their rights were at stake, but would no longer remain in electoral politics.
“My political journey after next month will not remain,” he said, adding that he would continue to work for the people outside politics.
Debbarma said the Village Committee election victory belonged to the people of the villages who, according to him, had been denied elections for years for various reasons.
“This victory is not of any party. This is the victory of our village people,” he said, referring to the elections being held after a prolonged gap.
He urged the newly elected chairpersons to work honestly for their villages and said development should begin at the grassroots.
The Tipra Motha leader, however, cautioned party workers against celebrating the election results as the final achievement.
“You are celebrating the VC victory, but don’t celebrate the real celebration yet. The real celebration will be when you get your rights through the Tipra Accord,” he said.
His remarks assume significance as the Village Committee elections have concluded and attention is now turning towards implementation of the Tripura Accord, signed in March 2024 between the Centre, the Tripura government and the Tipra Motha leadership.
Debbarma recalled that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Chief Minister Manik Saha had said before the ADC election that implementation of the accord would begin within a month.
“Time starts now, my friend. Time starts now,” he said, while asserting that further delay would amount to injustice and betrayal of the people.
He also urged Tipra Motha leaders to remain firm on the community’s demands and cautioned them against compromising people’s rights for positions.
“Never sell your people’s rights for post and position,” he said, adding that he would remain with the people if such a situation arose.
Debbarma said several senior party leaders, including Ranjit Debbarma, Bijoy Hwrankhal, C K Jamatia, Purna Chandra Jamatia and Bhaban Ranjan Riang, could now take forward the political dialogue.
He said his decision to leave active politics was also linked to the toll his political career had taken on his health and personal life but unfortunately questions were even raised against his integrity.
Recalling the evolution of his political movement, Debbarma said he had sought to unite different tribal communities under a common Tiprasa identity.
“When I started, we were divided. We were Riangs, Jamatias, Kaipengs, Debbarmas, Kolois, Uchoi and Murasings, but we were never Tiprasas,” he said.
He urged his supporters to retain the spirit with which Tipra Motha had initially functioned as a social organisation, recalling its work among people during the COVID-19 pandemic and assistance to poor families and youth.
Debbarma also appealed to his supporters to maintain communal harmony and cautioned against any conflict between tribal and non-tribal communities in Tripura.
He said his “first and only loyalty” should be to the people and truth, rather than to any political party.
“I may not remain a politician, but I will remain with the people,” he said, adding that he would continue to speak out whenever something went wrong and since he will no more remain in active politics so can now speak his heart which was not possible earlier.
He also proposed a public meeting involving the newly elected Village Committee chairpersons, saying he would attend and bid farewell to his supporters.
The Tipra Motha supremo’s announcement came a day after the counting of votes for the Village Committee elections, in which his party emerged as the dominant force.
