We Are Not Power Hungry; I Cannot Be Bought: TIPRA Motha Chief Pradyot Manikya

In 2021, Tripura’s politics saw an unexpected twist at the Autonomous District Council (ADC) elections, when the newly launched, tribal-based party, the TIPRA Motha, won 18 seats, humbling the ruling BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) alliance in the hills areas that managed to win only nine. The person behind the twist was the scion of the royal family, 44-year-old Pradyot Bikram Kishore ‘Manikya’ Deb Barma, better known as Pradyot Manikya, or ‘Bubagra’ by the people. In 2019, he resigned as the state Congress president to form the extra-political Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA). In February 2021, barely two months before the TTADC election, TIPRA was transformed into a political outfit—the TIPRA Motha party. Sticking to their demand for a Greater Tipraland, TIPRA Motha has decided to go solo in the upcoming Assembly elections, contesting 42 out of 60 seats in the Tripura state assembly. After a hectic day of campaigning, Pradyot Manikya speaks to Outlook’s Snigdhendu Bhattacharya at the royal Ujjayanta Palace.

The BJP totally swept the 2018 Panchayat by-elections and the 2019 Panchayat general elections, grabbing over 90 percent of theseats unopposed. Suddenly, going against the tide, the ADC election showed the BJP was not invincible. How did that happen?

I think the BJP thought that after all these elections, they no longer faced any political threat. That is why they allowed the ADC elections to take place. The BJP had no idea of its weaknesses in the tribal areas. However, since facing that electoral blow, they have become scared of further losses and, under different pretexts, are not letting the pending village committee elections in the ADC areas to be held.

You launched TIPRA as an extra-political organisation but converted it into a political party. Why?

TIPRA is still more of a movement than a political party. However, we also realised that without contesting elections and defeating parties that did not want to listen to us, we would not gain anything. So, we decided to contest the election. We won because we are sincere and people saw that. We don’t want to indulge in the same kind of politics that people have seen for the past 70 years.

You are seeking Greater Tipraland out of the ADC areas but opposition parties are saying it is not a contiguous tract of land and is therefore an impractical demand. Would you agree?

I would urge them to learn about the Bodoland territorial region. Was it contiguous land? If you have the right intentions, territorial adjustments and redrawing can be worked out. The thing is, the tribal people of Tripura have been deprived socio-economically, culturally and politically and they want their own rights. There has to be devolution of power. Agartala’s budget is three times higher than that of the ADC. Why? People know that these things need to change and that’s why they are supporting us. We will not indulge in violence. We are looking for a constitutional solution.

You have been rigid in your stance of not allying with any party that does not express its support for Tipraland in writing. What if, post-elections, the TIPRA Motha’s support is required for government formation but the party concerned is not ready to consider the demand for Tipraland?

Then we will sit in the opposition. We are not hungry for power. I don’t want to be the chief minister. I am not even contesting the election. I cannot be purchased with money. We cannot be intimidated. There was a lot of pressure on me from national parties to get into a pre-poll alliance but I have held my head high through all these negotiations and have turned down every offer when they refused to give me something in writing. Verbal assurances hold no meaning. I need something to show my people.

Isn’t your push for statehood leading to ethnic conflicts?

Absolutely not. We are fighting for our rights without trying to take away the rights of any other community. We are not saying that Bengalis living in ADC areas will have to leave or will be discriminated against. We have fielded Bengali Hindus, Bengali Muslims and Manipuris. We have fielded five women. We have fielded Scheduled Caste candidates from unreserved seats. We do not believe in discrimination. I understand the pain of Bengali Hindus, of what they went through in East Pakistan and later Bangladesh. I will never do something which will spoil the bonhomie between communities.

Political violence has been one of the main talking points in Tripura’s politics since the BJP came to power. How are you dealing with it?

In general areas, there is a sense of fear and intimidation and we are having to deal with it, just like other opposition parties. But that’s not the case in the ADC areas. In the hill areas, we do not resort to violence and we cannot be intimidated either. We have won the mind game. Now, the physical winning has to take place through the elections.

What’s your best choice for an ally?

The Congress without the CPI (M). But I don’t think that would be a reality, as the Congress is contesting from only 13 seats and they wouldn’t have enough numbers.

If the BJP emerges as the single largest party and agrees to support the demand for Greater Tipraland in exchange for your support, would you consider it?

We hope to emerge as the single largest party even if we fall short of the majority mark. If, under some scenario, the BJP seeks our support and backs our demand, we can talk and work together. But they cannot pursue their communal politics under me. India does not belong to any community in particular. I do not believe that to be a good Hindu, or a good practitioner of any religion, one needs to insult or undermine other communities or their deities. The BJP is not the custodian of the Hindus. My ancestors built temples and mosques and gave land for Buddhist monasteries.

What would be your priorities if the election results give you a chance to form the government?

We have published a manifesto with a 15-point agenda for the first 150 days. We will obviously pass a resolution stating that the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) cannot be implemented. We will ask for direct devolution of powers in the ADC areas. We will clear backlogs of jobs, create the ADC police, create a healthcare system where every village has access to a primary health centre or telemedicine centre or ambulance service that would provide the same. We will ensure that education follows the Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi model and there will be zero tolerance against corruption and crimes against women.

Why are you calling it ‘one last fight’?

Because this is my last fight. I am unwell. I will have to go for treatment abroad after the elections are over. The treatment may succeed or it may not. I know that before my time is up, I want to give something back to the people.

(This appeared in the print edition as "‘We are not power hungry; I cannot be bought’")