BJP Hits Back at Tipra Motha, Accuses Ally of Distorting Tripura’s History Ahead of TTAADC Polls
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Agartala
- Oct 16, 2025
- 1132
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday strongly criticised its coalition partner, the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), for accusing the saffron party of neglecting the welfare of Tripura’s tribal communities. Senior BJP leaders alleged that the TMP is “twisting the state’s history” for political gain ahead of the crucial Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections scheduled early next year.
Addressing a press conference in Agartala, BJP State Vice-President Bimal Chakma, General Secretary Bipin Debbarma, and youth leader Sanjit Reang jointly said that TMP leaders were resorting to divisive rhetoric to secure electoral mileage.
Chakma cited several steps taken by the BJP government to honour the state’s tribal legacy, including the renaming of Agartala Airport after Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur (1923–1947) and the declaration of August 19—the late king’s birthday—as a state holiday.
He also highlighted that former Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, a prominent tribal leader, had recently been appointed Governor of Telangana, while the party’s national leadership includes figures such as President Droupadi Murmu and several tribal Chief Ministers.
“The BJP government has increased the monthly honorarium for tribal community leaders, reflecting our commitment to the upliftment of indigenous people,” Chakma said.
He, however, condemned recent remarks allegedly made by TMP leaders against Chief Minister Manik Saha, who was called a “Bengali Chief Minister” and even a “Bangladeshi Chief Minister.”
“The TMP’s rhetoric is dangerous and could reopen old wounds. We have seen the consequences of ethnic tensions in 1980,” Chakma warned, adding that such statements risk fuelling animosity between tribal and non-tribal communities.
BJP General Secretary Bipin Debbarma further accused TMP of “distorting Tripura’s history” and “insulting the office of the Chief Minister” through inflammatory comments.
The tension between the two alliance partners has been rising for months. TMP supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, during a rally in Karbook in southern Tripura’s Gomati district, reiterated his threat to withdraw support from the BJP-led government if the demands of the indigenous ‘Tiprasa’ people are not fulfilled.
TMP has long been pressing for the creation of ‘Greater Tipraland’, a separate state for tribals under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution, and has also demanded the immediate conduct of village committee elections within the TTAADC areas.
Recent clashes between workers of both parties have left over 15 BJP members injured in separate incidents, signalling growing friction within the ruling coalition.
As the TTAADC elections draw nearer, political observers say the escalating war of words between the BJP and TMP could test the stability of the alliance and reshape the tribal political landscape of Tripura.