The main Opposition Party in Tripura, TIPRA Motha Party (TMP) has amended its constitution and abolished the ‘Chairman’ post which was held by Pradyot Kishore Debbarma. As per the constitution of the Party, TMP will now be led by its president.
In a social media post on Sunday, Pradyot Kishore wrote, “As my 2-year term as the Chairman of the TIPRA Motha Party comes to an end, I am no longer seeking reappointment, and as per our amended constitution, the president shall be the supreme steering post in the party. Hon’ble BK Hrangkhawl will continue to lead the party as the president of TIPRA Motha, and I will now be serving the party as a party member and a warrior!”
While addressing the party’s plenary session on Sunday, Debbarma said he would no longer remain associated with the day-to-day activities of the Party and he would hold talks regarding the Tiprasa with Union Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
“I am fighting for the rights of the Tiprasa people not for the TIPRA Motha”, he said and added, let’s work for movement and individual positions.
In his speech at the plenary session, Debbarma clearly vented his anguish at some leaders’ and supporters’ intention of satisfying their own interests. He even talked about corruption by the Tiprasa people which is affecting the lives of common Tiprasa people.
According to political analysts, Debbarma’s decision will have a far-reaching impact on the future of the TIPRA Motha. Even as Pradyot talked in length on ‘Thansa’ (Unity), the transition of the party appears to be bumpy.
The party started with a bang with its ‘Greater Tipra Land’ demand and captured the Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). He temporarily dropped the demand (it was not mentioned in the election manifesto released by the party) and raised a demand for the ‘Constitutional solution’ to the problems of the Tiprasa. With this slogan, the TIPRA Motha Party managed to emerge as the second-largest party with 13 seats in the 2023 Assembly Polls.
Disillusionment and frustration started to grow among the grass root level supporters as nothing was happening to achieve the ‘Greater Tipraland’ or ‘Constitutional Solution’. Despite his repeated claims about his talks with Amit Shah regarding the arrival of the ‘interlocutor’, nothing materialized.
At this juncture, it will be interesting to note how the foot soldiers of the TIPRA Motha make their next move in the wake of Pradyot Kishore’s decision to give up his position handing over the baton to a veteran, BK Hrangkhawl.
