Congress CLP leader Birajit Sinha backs Pradyot Kishore Debbarma’s Greater Tipraland demand, urges Tripura CM Manik Saha to accept it, while criticising BJP and CPI(M) over Village Committee elections ahead of the September 28 polls.
Veteran Congress MLA and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Birajit Sinha has publicly backed Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma’s demand for a “Greater Tipraland” and urged Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha to accept the demand. Sinha made the remarks while addressing an election rally at Chinibagan Bazar in Kailashahar on Tuesday.
The rally was organised by the Kailashahar district Congress ahead of the Village Committee elections scheduled to be held on September 28. The elections will cover 587 Village Committees and 4,597 seats across areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
During his address, Sinha criticised both the BJP and CPI(M), alleging that neither party had shown sincerity in conducting the Village Committee elections. He claimed that the previous Left Front government did not hold the elections when they were due in 2016 and that the BJP government also failed to initiate the process after coming to power in 2018.
According to Sinha, the elections are now being conducted following the intervention of Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma and subsequent directions from the Supreme Court.
The Congress leader also criticised the CPI(M) over its approach to tribal-related issues and referred to the legislation that established the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. “Congress had to be there for the development of the ADC,” Sinha said while highlighting his party’s role in the development of the autonomous council.
Sinha subsequently extended his support to Debbarma’s Greater Tipraland demand and called upon Chief Minister Manik Saha to accept it immediately. He connected his argument with statements allegedly made by some political leaders in Bangladesh regarding the northeastern region.
Referring to areas that were under the administration of the Tripura royal family before Partition, Sinha said accepting the Greater Tipraland demand would help settle the issue. His remarks come at a time when political parties are intensifying their campaigns ahead of the Village Committee elections.
In Unakoti district, the villages of Hirachhara, Deorachhara and Unakoti under Gournagar block are witnessing a four-cornered contest. Candidates from the BJP, Congress, Tipra Motha and CPI(M) are in the fray, making the electoral contest closely watched in the area.
Sinha also raised allegations regarding the election campaign environment in different ADC Village areas. He alleged that Congress booth offices and campaign materials were being vandalised at night and claimed that party workers and supporters were being threatened. He further alleged that voters were being warned of being driven out of their areas if they did not vote for BJP candidates.
Unakoti district Congress president Mohammad Badruzzaman echoed similar allegations during the rally. Both Sinha and Badruzzaman said Congress workers would respond if any untoward incident occurred during the elections.
The rally was attended by several Congress leaders and candidates, including AICC member Sushanta Chakraborty, Rudrendu Bhattacharjee, Tin Kumar Darlong, Suraiya Darlong, Loisima Darlong, Runu Mia, Zuber Ahmed Khan, Abhijit Debnath and Dweep Sinha.
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Congress said all 25 of its candidates from the three Village Committees were present at the rally along with party workers and supporters. With the September 28 Village Committee elections approaching, the competing parties are stepping up their campaigns across the ADC areas, with tribal issues and local governance emerging as key themes in the electoral discourse.
