Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Sunday claimed that Chief Minister Manik Saha and the BJP will not be able to defeat his party in the forthcoming Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections.
The TMP, an ally of the BJP-led coalition government in the state, is currently in power at the TTAADC. Elections for the council are due by the second week of April.
Addressing a programme of the Hranghkhawl community at Jampuijala in Sepahijala district, Debbarma said the Chief Minister will not be able to defeat the TMP in the 2026 TTAADC elections even as the BJP makes all-out efforts.
“We are not going to concede defeat because the party(TMP) is fighting for the 'dofa' (community) while he (CM) is fighting to make the BJP winner. We will not bow down for the cause of land, rights and language of indigenous people,” Debbarma said.
Targeting the BJP, Debbarma asserted that the Tiprasa people will vote for the future of their children, adding that electors who have believed in political parties in the past will not be influenced by money power this time.
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The TMP contested the tribal council's elections independently in 2021 and won by securing 18 seats in the 28-member council. The ruling BJP, which fought alongside its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), suffered a crushing defeat in that election.
Debbarma criticised the BJP, alleging that it focuses on communal divisions, talking about Hindus, Muslims and Christians, instead of addressing all-round development, food, clothing, language, and the future of the Tiprasa people.
“If any attempts are made to suppress our voice, we will give a befitting reply (in the election) with a smile. We will be the winner because we are not wrong, as the almighty, who is looking down at us, always supports the truth,” he said.
Claiming to speak for the Tiprasa people’s pain and sufferings in Delhi, Debbarma said the Chief Minister goes to the national capital, returns, and acts at the behest of Delhi.
“We don't need a postman. We stand by the cause of the Tiprasa people. For us, community is more important than politics,” he added.
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