DM Snubs Pradyot Kishore: Tipra Motha Chief Denied Audience in Gomati Sparks Political Ripples
In a dramatic political episode on Sunday evening, Gomati District Magistrate Tarit Kanti Chakma reportedly declined to meet Tipra Motha Party founder and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, igniting a wave of debate across Tripura’s political landscape.
Debbarman had visited the DM’s official residence with the intention of discussing public grievances from the Ampi region and surrounding tribal areas. However, his unannounced attempt to meet the IAS officer was met with a firm refusal. As a result, the leader, who refers to himself as ‘Bubagra’ (King), left without being granted an audience. There was one more people’s representative with him from the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. Tipra Motha is an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura.
Visibly disappointed and his ego hurt, Debbarman addressed media personnel stationed outside the DM’s residence. “I came here to meet the District Magistrate of Gomati. I had some issues to discuss with him. However, he refused to meet. If he doesn’t wish to meet me, I have nothing to do,” he said, appearing peeved and agitated by what many perceived as a public bruising of his all-powerful demeanour .
The District Magistrate’s office has not issued an official statement on the matter. However, sources within the administration clarified that Chakma maintains a consistent policy of not entertaining political figures at his residence, particularly on weekends or holidays. Saturday being the fourth of the month, the day was officially a government holiday.
Debbarman, a descendant of Tripura’s erstwhile royal family, leads TIPRA Motha with a two-pronged political narrative: championing tribal unity through the Kokborok slogan ‘Thansa’ (unity), and frequently stirring controversy with inflammatory remarks against the Bengali population, whom he often accuses of being illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. While his rhetoric has mobilized some tribal sentiment, it has also triggered sharp criticism and a growing sense of unease — even within his own party and among other tribal communities.
As the ground reality stands, his attempt to create and intensify hatred against the Bengalis amongst the tribal population succeeded to some extent, apparently his Thansa move did not yield his expected results. Often, and most specifically for the last one and half years there had been growing dissatisfaction amongst the TIPRA Motha leaders against him.
The latest incident may mark more than a personal slight. Tarit Kanti Chakma, a young tribal IAS officer from the Chakma community, is seen as a symbol of merit-based tribal empowerment.
Although DM Tarik Kanti Chakma’s was an individual decision as an administrative officer and apparently nothing to do with the community affiliation, there remained some underlying undeniable facts.
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Notably, Chakma groups in Tripura have historically distanced themselves from militant outfits that once dominated the state’s tribal insurgency — outfits often associated with the Tripuri majority, which Debbarman claims to represent. The Chakmas have also felt alienated by TIPRA Motha’s perceived alignment with former militants and its emphasis on Tripuri-centric narratives.
Chakmas never joined the tribal militants outfits of the state which was predominantly Tripuri organizations that targeted the Bengali population. Several Chakma villages were also selectively targeted by the militants and youths were killed ( specially in Dhalai district). Pradyot Kishore is overtly accommodating the militant leaders -the move did not go down well with the Chakmas too.
Two years ago, relations between the Tripuri and Chakma communities further soured when mutual accusations of demographic intrusion surfaced over settlement patterns in the Dambur region. Tripuri groups accused Chakmas from the Chittagong Hill Tracts of settling illegally in the area, while Chakma organizations issued counter-accusations.
Against this backdrop, Chakma’s refusal to meet Debbarman — without any explanation, and through the intervention of police personnel — may be translated as an act of quiet defiance. While many citizens and civil society members praised the DM for upholding bureaucratic decorum and neutrality, others, including CPI(M) leader and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury, opined that as a public servant, the DM should have met an elected public representative.
Political observers believe Debbarman is unlikely to escalate the issue publicly, particularly due to the sensitive nature of his ‘Thansa’ narrative which seeks to bridge tribal communities — including the Chakmas. Had the DM been from the Bengali community, many suspect the response from Debbarman might have been far more combative, given his political posturing on ethnic lines. In fact, had not DM been a tribal from Tripura , by now thousands of Debbarman’s ‘foot’soldiers would have taken to roads and gheraoed the DM’ office / residence. It would would have caused serious political storm, by now.
In the end, the DM’s silent stand — refusing even the symbolic power of a gate meeting — may have subtly chipped away at the aura surrounding Tripura’s ‘Maharaja’. Whether this incident remains a minor episode or signals deeper tribal fissures within TIPRA Motha’s support base remains to be seen.
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Pic Taken from Dainik Sambad FB
