‘No Outsider, No Matter How Powerful, Can’t Decide Tribal Identity’: Pradyot Debbarma Hits Back at CM
TIPRA Motha supremo and Tripura’s royal scion, Pradyot Kishore Debbarma launched a blistering attack on ally BJP and Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, accusing the government of betraying indigenous aspirations and attempting to dictate matters of tribal identity.
He asserted that only the indigenous people of Tripura have the right to decide the script of Kokborok and that “no outsider, no matter how powerful, has the authority to impose decisions on tribal identity.”
“Our demand is clear. Tiprasa has the power to choose its own script. Nobody can dictate what we can or cannot choose,” he said, adding that non-indigenous voices had no authority to decide the language or script in which our students should write examinations. According to him, language is not a technical issue but a deeply emotional and cultural one.
He also announced that in 2028 Assembly election an indigenous person will be the Chief Minister of Tripura.
Debbarma was speaking to reporters on Thursday evening in the sidelines of a torch rally in South Tripura district organised under the banner of the United Movement Committee for Roman Script, held in protest against the Chief Minister’s recent remarks opposing the adoption of the Roman script for Kokborok.
The protest was triggered by Dr Saha’s statement made during a BJP joining programme, which has since ignited widespread resentment among tribal organisations and students’ bodies.
Terming the Chief Minister’s stand as an “unwarranted interference,” Debbarma said language and script are inseparable from the identity of indigenous communities and warned the BJP leadership against trivialising deeply rooted tribal sentiments.
Taking strong exception to Dr Saha’s claim that TIPRA Motha was responsible for the non-implementation of the Tiprasa Accord, Debbarma hit back, saying the BJP had failed to honour even a single major promise made to the indigenous people despite repeated assurances before elections.
“How can I remain silent when the BJP has not kept its word?” he asked, rejecting the allegation that Motha had violated the Accord’s terms.
He clarified that the Accord was signed to resolve long-standing indigenous issues and not for personal gain or political convenience.
“I did not sign the Accord to earn money or power. If the promises are not fulfilled, I will raise my voice for my people, not to please the BJP,” Debbarma declared.
He also ridiculed the Chief Minister’s assertion that the BJP would sweep all 28 seats in the upcoming TTAADC elections, alleging that the CM was being misled by Janajati Morcha leaders disconnected from ground realities.
Pradyot said that even BJP leaders privately know that the party has little presence in tribal areas as indigenous sentiments overwhelmingly lie with the Tiprasa movement.
Issuing a blunt warning, the TIPRA Motha supremo said the Chief Minister should refrain from intervening in matters concerning tribal language and identity, stressing that Kokborok and its script are non-negotiable symbols of indigenous self-respect.
The hard-hitting attack has further exposed the growing rift within the NDA alliance in Tripura, raising serious questions over the future of its unity ahead of the crucial TTAADC elections.
