The TIPRA Motha, a regional party that has emerged as a key player in the February 16 Assembly polls in Tripura, on Friday accused the ruling BJP of “copying” its election agenda.
TIPRA Motha chairman Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma made the allegation in reaction to the three-page Sankalp Patra (manifesto) for the elections released by BJP national president J.P. Nadda on Thursday.
In an audio clip uploaded on the Motha’s Facebook page, Deb Barma said: “Today I saw the manifesto of the BJP. They are also talking about things we have been talking about for the last three years. They copied us. We set the agenda, they are today copying us. Chalo, I have no problem. Oonth toh aab pahad ke niche aya hain na. We need to believe (in ourselves).”
The Hindi proverb used by Deb Barma literally means showing one his or her place.
Deb Barma said he had got the BJP, Congress and the CPM to a level where they were thinking like the Motha.
The BJP manifesto, released on Thursday, promises welfare schemes, freebies and infrastructure besides pledging to restructure the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) to provide it with greater autonomy and additional legislative, executive, administrative and financial powers within the framework of the proposed 125th Constitution Amendment Bill (dealing with Sixth Schedule areas). The manifesto also promises annual financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to Scheduled Tribe families and allotment of land pattas to the eligible landless.
The BJP also promised the establishment of a Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Tribal University in Gandacherra to research, promote and preserve tribal culture and studies, and the S.D. Burman Performing Arts Academy to focus on popularising the state’s folk dance, music and theatre, and offered meal at Rs 5 thrice a day.
Although Deb Barma did not elaborate, sources said he was referring to the BJP’s commitment to provide maximum power to the TTAADC and the development scheme for tribals.
The Motha, which won the TTAADC polls a few months after being formed in 2021, has become a major player in the tribal areas in the polls for which all leading parties — the BJP, IPFT, Congress and the Left Front — had been trying to come to some sort of an alliance or understanding with it. However, Deb Barma’s insistence on a Greater Tipraland (a separate state within the state) has put paid to their efforts.
