Tripura's royal scion, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma has sparked a diplomatic stir asserting that India possesses the power to divide Bangladesh and create another country.
His remarks come amid rising tensions between India and Bangladesh, as cross-border cultural and political issues increasingly dominate the discourse in the region.
Speaking at a Mega Solidarity Rally on Thursday in support of minority communities in Bangladesh, Debbarma, founder of Tipra Motha, made the controversial remarks, evoking a strong sense of history and cultural ties between Tripura and Bangladesh.
Hundreds gathered in the rally in Sabroom, carrying banners, posters, and placards to protest the ongoing persecution of minorities and indigenous communities in Bangladesh.
"I am not here as the founder of Tipra Motha but as a member of the Maharaja's family. Our people in Brahmanbaria, Khagrachari, Comilla, and Chottogram, now in Bangladesh, once belonged to Tripura. It pains me to see their temples vandalised, churches attacked, and lives lost. This is not the culture of Tripura nor Bangladesh. The Maharajas of Tripura fostered a tradition of harmony, where mandirs, masjids, and churches coexisted peacefully," Debbarma said.
Debbarma emphasised the unity that defined Tripura's cultural fabric: "Today, Muslims protect our Hindu goddesses, and namaz is still performed in Raj Baari. This is the culture of India and Tripura. But in Bangladesh, such respect seems absent. Without Tripura, Bangladesh would not exist, nor would the Mukti Bahini. And now, Bangladesh is raising slogans against India, the nation that helped them."
He pointed out that India’s assistance in creating Bangladesh during the 1971 War of Independence is being repaid with hostility.
"Sheikh Hasina and her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, were friends of India, which is why India remained silent. But that friendship no longer exists. If Bangladesh challenges India, they must be reminded that India can divide Bangladesh just as it did Pakistan."
Debbarma further added, “If Bangladesh continues to harm minority communities, we will not remain silent. India, the land of Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, and Sam Manekshaw, will act. Muslims in India will teach the Muslims of Bangladesh what true Islam is."
The demonstrators highlighted recent incidents in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), where several indigenous people were reportedly killed and displaced. Their homes and shops were allegedly set on fire by illegal settlers.
Since the ousting of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government and the installation of an interim administration, attacks on minority Hindus and other religious communities in Bangladesh have sharply escalated.
Earlier, hundreds belonging to Chakma tribe in India staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Tuesday against the "organised attacks" on the indigenous hill tribes on September 19 and 20 in Bangladesh, in which at least five persons were reportedly killed and several houses were burnt.
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