By Firstdespatch Desk May 14, 2023
Agartala, May 14 (FD) Tripura’s royal scion and Chairman of the TIPRA Motha, Pradyot Kishore Deb Barman, who is championing for the demand of a separate ‘Greater Tipraland’ seems caught in a trap over appointment of an interlocutor for constitutional solution of the tribals of the state, who constitute one third of the state’s estimated 40 lakh population.
Two days after AK Mishra, the central government's interlocutor for initiating talks on Tripura's missed his visit in the state for the second time.
Former Chief Minister and CPIM politburo member Manik Sarkar was quick to remark - Pradyot Kishore has been "caught in a trap".
"Pradyot Kishore should be asked and he can clarify the issue. He has been caught in a trap. Now he has to think how he will get free from this trap. Why would I waste time talking about it? Let's see what he says", Sarkar told media today, while giving his reactions to the delay in interlocutor's visit to Tripura.
Sarkar also taunted at the state government for being apparently "not in the know" about the Interlocutor's appointment just days before the state General Administration (Political) Department issued a notification on May 10 saying Akshay Kumar Mishra, Advisor to the Government of India on NE affairs to Tripura would be treated as state guest during his visit starting May 12.
CPIM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhary earlier said the interlocutor episode was an "eyewash", which prompted Pradyot to react sharply on May 10 saying tribals were backward since Communists ruled Tripura for 35 years in two phases. He also piled heat on the ruling BJP and said some BJP tribal leaders are trying to break off the Motha support base.
"An interlocutor is appointed by the central government. It seems very undue that the Chief Minister or the state government doesn't know about it and a third person is announcing these things and telling the name of the interlocutor. It was later published in media that the government issued a notice saying who was appointed for the post, when he is coming, how he would be welcomed or seen off", Manik Sarkar said today in a similar tone.
His comments were in reference to Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha's comments a few days before the notification that he didn't have any official knowledge on the appointment of an interlocutor.
This is the second time the interlocutor failed a date with Tripura in recent months including once more earlier this month, after which Pradyot clarified thay AK Mishra had to rush to Manipur to address ongoing violence there and would come to Tripura after handling the situation.
Stating that the series of failed visit schedules of the interlocutor are going to a "ridiculous position", Sarkar today said, "Those who are involved in this are taking themselves to a ridiculous position. It is bound to happen. One can't go far with deceit. Those who do these and think they will win, will be caught (in trap) sometime. People wouldn't let them go".
Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma's TIPRA Motha party, which was floated in 2021 with the demand of Greater Tipraland – a proposed autonomous state inside Tripura for tribals, won the ADC polls in the same year, barely 2 months after its birth.
It contested the Tripura assembly polls this year in 42 seats and won 13 in the debut assembly election it fought, becoming the prime opposition party in the assembly.
The ruling BJP, which won 32 seats in the polls and currently has 31 after union minister of state Pratima Bhoumik resigned to keep her central berth, leaving the party with just one seat more than the magic figure, was seen initiating a series of talks among Pradyot Kishore and the party's central leaders.
However, Pradyot has maintained equidistance from both BJP, and opposition CPIM and Congress parties and have stuck to his demand of Constitutional solution for tribals.
His party expects the MHA interlocutor to initiate talks for the constitutional solution. FD JK