By Firstdespatch Desk May 10, 2023
Agartala, May 10 (FD) The opposition political parties – CPI (M) and Tipra Motha, which apparently had a close and clandestine understanding before the Feb elections this year is now at loggerheads over many issues.
State's prime opposition TIPRA Motha party chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma today said tribals were backward since Communists ruled Tripura for 35 years in two phases.
Earlier, CPI-M state party Secretary Jiten Chowdhury blamed Tipra Motha for helping BJP win the last assembly elections by putting up candidates in the non reserve constituencies.
However, Motha supermo also piled heat on the ruling BJP and said some BJP tribal leaders are trying to break off the Motha support base.
In an audio message on social media, Pradyot Kishore said he was silent for several days on these issues but now he chose to speak up.
"I have seen in a few incidents in the last few days that few people who became MLA because I didn't field a candidate, like Jitendra Chaudhury from Sabroom is calling me a fraud. If I had given a candidate from Sabroom, he wouldn't be sitting in the assembly. He is calling TIPRA Motha leaders fraud. CPIM leaders ruled us for 35 years. They came to power with tribal votes. They didn't give us food, a roof on our heads, education to children; tribals are backward since CPIM ruled us for 35 years. What did we get? Our community? Ideology?" Pradyot said in the message for his followers.
The royal scion was seen sharing a cordial relation with the CPIM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury and the latter was seen meeting Debbarma at the Raj Andar of the erstwhile Ujjayanta Palace, which is still owned by the formerly royal family.
However, the relationship was recently found to have been strained since the CPIM leader was seen making critical comments on Pradyot's party including claims that the appointment of an interlocutor was”eyewash".
However, Pradyot trained guns at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as he said few leaders from BJP are saying TIPRA Motha has been finished and Pradyot wouldn't call for Greater Tipraland anymore.
"Few BJP Janajati leaders are breaking away a hundred or a few of our supporters. These people have shortage of money so they are going for convenience. We have no objection. If they want to break TIPRA Motha, they may try. TIPRA Motha may break but demand for Greater Tipraland will not break, the demand of constitutional solution will not end. They should be ashamed that being tribals, they aren't giving anything to tribals", he shot at the said BJP leaders without naming anyone in particular.
He also said BJP assured maximum autonomy before the assembly elections but is silent on the issue now.
"BJP is in power at centre and state. They may demand but it wouldn't work", he said adding that all of BJP, Congress and CPIM are different in its approach and politics at Delhi and in Tripura.
"BJP at Delhi and state are separate. CPIM at Delhi and state are separate, so is Congress. Nobody bothers about tribals in the state (Tripura) since we don't have rights. I shall fight for the rights of our people. It doesn't matter if we win or lose. the lion becomes silent, he is preparing for the next attack. My silence shouldn't be taken as fear", he said.
Citing his philanthropic works including bringing students of Tripura stranded in Manipur back home amidst violence in the state or helping people during COVID pandemic out of his own pockets, Pradyot Kishore said it's easy to make press conferences but it's hard to help one’s own community with money from one's own pockets.
"I'm not a politician. I'm here to help my community. Whoever wants to do netagiri can do so. I shall do my work. And those who live in glass houses shouldn't pelt stones at others. They will become naked.
See what I do for my people, community and for the next generation", he said in a terse warning about his next course of action.
Just a day before, Pradyot had said an internal commitment of his party, which was formed to assess TIPRA Motha's 2023 poll performance, has tabled its report. Based on the report, the party would be "restructured" from ground up till the central committee, he said, indicating a reshuffle in leadership soon. FD JK