- Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
Agartala, March 12, 2022 : For the first time in the history of Tripura, tens of thousands of people gathered at Swami Vivekananda Maidan (Astabal) and roads beside the ground in a peaceful public gathering called by the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) Motha on Saturday.
Royal scion and TIPRA Motha chairman Pradyot Kishore Debbarman on Saturday reiterated his call for unity of indigenous people across Tripura in order to achieve their constitutional right ‘Greater Tipraland’.
Addressing the gathering on Saturday afternoon, Pradyot said “There is no VIP in the dais. All heavyweight leaders are sitting on the ground with all Tiprasa people. TIPRA Motha doesn’t promote VIP culture as we all are the same. While serving as the president of Tripura Pradesh in the Congress party, I always saw that 50 supporters were standing in front of dais and 200 leaders on the dais. What kind of party is that? It has to be the opposite.”
“When it is all about TIPRA Motha, there should not be any leader sitting on the dais. If anyone is willing to address the public gathering then you need to come up from the ground and speak out to the people. The programme is for Tiprasa and not for promoting VIP Culture”.
TIPRA Motha chairman said that a regional political party organized a programme in Agartala city after six long years. He urged the people to attend the gathering and then leave for home. “Bubagra doesn’t want to squabble. Our agenda is not to stage violence. We are never against any community and religion. Our movement is to demand for our rights under the Constitution of India”, he added.
He said “The movement is not against anyone. Those people are trying to say that problems will rise and increase in Tripura after TIPRA Motha comes into power. One year has passed, no attack has been constituted upon people of different communities and religions like Bengalis, Muslims, Christians, etc. in ADC areas of Tripura. Attacks and violence are taking place only in Agartala.”
Citing the main cause of indigenous people, Pradyot Kishore Debbarman is also known as ‘Bubagra’ said that and Tiprasa people had become ‘Thansa’ (Kokborok word) i.e. united fighting for their rights and demanding their own rights from the Constitution of India. What is the problem in that? “We are never against any community. Today, from Astabal, I am telling the top brasses in Delhi to come here and see. We will always demand for our constitutional right. And this is called Thansa. Here none represent their selective indigenous community, we all together are Tiprasa only.”
Taking a dig at a section of political leaders who are always negative in nature, ‘Bubagra’ said “Political parties’ leaders already may have started discussion that the TIPRA Motha had huge stock of money, the gathering is being done by this party. But the main thing Bubagra did was not spend a single penny. People had come by their own spending money from their own pockets. When I was in the Congress party, people were forced to come to the political gathering by the leaders in lieu of money. Today, no one was threatened to attend the rally. People had come from their heart and for thansa.”
“People from different political parties will make untiring attempts to break our ‘Thansa’ (Unity) by spending huge sums. I have faith in my Tiprasa people. They will not sell their constitutional demand in exchange for a hefty amount.”
“In the past, Dasarath Deb had been the CM of Tripura, my father Maharaja Kirit Bikram Debbarman was the MP from INC and Jitendra Chaudhury was a MP, they failed to do something better for Tiprasa. Even seven-time Lok Sabha member Bajuban Reang did nothing for the BRU people”, he added.
TIPRA Motha chairman claimed “Even, people out there tried to allure me for the post of Chief Minister and several other positions. In India, there is not enough money printed in India to buy ‘Bubagra’. I don’t want any position of becoming a MP, minister and so on. ‘Bubagra’ and Tiprasa people only demand is ‘Greater Tipraland’.”
He also clarified that his party will contest in 35 out of 60 assembly constituencies during the ensuing elections.
In this programme, TIPRA Motha president Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhwal, TTAADC chairman Jagadish Debbarma, Chief Executive Member Purna Chandra Jamatia, Deputy CEM Animesh Debbarma and others were present.
