AGARTALA:
The chairman of the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA), Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, on April 5, slammed the local MLAs and ministers representing the national parties in Tripura for trying to break TIPRA, so that the demand for ‘Greater Tipraland’ remains unattainable.
“Many people are conspiring to break our thansa (unity) so that we fail to achieve our demand for a separate state. But no one in India can buy me or my people. They feel we tribals are fools. They feel that if they give me the lone Rajya Sabha seat, I will be happy. I don’t want money, position, or power. I want Greater Tipraland for our Tiprasa people,” he said, addressing a rally in Chawmanu Assembly Constituency in Dhalai district, on April 5.
Expressing confidence that TIPRA will emerge victorious in the tribal-dominated constituencies in the 2023 elections, he alleged that earlier national parties such as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) fought from these constituencies and made false promises, but now they will not be able to influence people doing that.
Pradyot further added that the ones who become MLAs and ministers for the (indigenous) people have neglected the locals, and never highlighted their problems in the Assembly, while they continue to enjoy all privileges.
Claiming that the demand for Greater Tipraland is not against the Bengali community, Pradyot said, “I am fighting because of you (indigenous) people. They said TIPRA is a small party. Yes, we are a small party but I never compromise for my people. I quit Congress because of my people. We are not against Bengali people. We are just demanding our constitutional right.”
