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Manik Saha Warns Tipra Motha Over Threats and Script Politics

  • By Thetripurapost Desk, Agartala
  • Dec 23, 2025
  • 1252

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on ally Tipra Motha, asserting that attempts to pressure or blackmail the BJP would not succeed under his leadership.

Addressing a BJP programme at Bijalbari in Khowai district, Saha criticised what he described as the shifting political demands of the Pradyot Debbarma-led party, noting that it alternates between calls for “Tipraland,” “Greater Tipraland,” and now “One Northeast.”

Reiterating the BJP’s commitment to peaceful coexistence with its allies, the Chief Minister took exception to recent remarks suggesting that national parties would be barred from entering areas governed by the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

“We fought and won the 2018 Assembly elections in alliance with the IPFT, and we repeated that success in 2023 with the same partner.

Tipra Motha joined the coalition only after the elections. One cannot achieve success by attempting to blackmail or mislead the elder brother,” Saha said, without naming the party directly.

Highlighting the BJP’s political journey in Tripura, Saha said people are well aware of how the party ended decades of Left rule in 2018 through a strategic alliance with the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).

His remarks came in response to recent statements by Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Debbarma, who claimed that national parties do not care for regional outfits and therefore should not be allowed in tribal council areas. Although IPFT and Tipra Motha remain political rivals within the TTAADC, both are constituents of the BJP-led government in the state.

The Chief Minister also accused the Tipra Motha-controlled TTAADC of removing the Bengali language from schools under its administration. Addressing the Kokborok script debate, Saha made it clear that the state government would not accept the introduction of the Roman script.

“If there are objections to the Bengali script for Kokborok, an alternative can be discussed. However, the Roman script will not be permitted, as foreign scripts are not recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. We are aware of the forces pushing this agenda, and the government will not tolerate any form of provocation or blackmail on this issue,” he asserted.