MANDWI/PATNI/AMBASA: For 70-year-old Durjoy Debbarma in Tripura, the “Bubagra” is the saviour.
The royal scion Pradyot Manikya Debbarma is the "Bubagra", which translates to "king" in English. He heads the tribe-based political party TIPRA Motha which is influential in the 20 seats reserved for the STs in the tribal areas. The state has 60 seats.
As Tripura girds up its loins for the Assembly elections on February 16, Pradyot is carrying the separate state "Greater Tipraland" dream of 19 ethnic communities. According to the 2011 census, the state has a population of 36.74 lakh – 31.8 per cent of them tribals.
The former princely state was ruled by the Maharajas of the Manikya dynasty before its merger with the Indian Union in 1949. The TIPRA Motha demands the creation of Greater Tipraland by slicing off Tripura’s 70 per cent tribal-dominated areas.
"Kingship has been replaced by democracy but we still consider the 'Bubagra' as the owner of this land. He had floated TIPRA Motha (in 2019) after realising that the tribals of Tripura might be wiped out gradually. He is our saviour,” Durjoy, a tribal from Patni, told TNIE.
The old man became emotional with his eyes lit up when he was citing the reasons why the tribals in Tripura need a separate state.
“We have remained neglected for nearly 75 years, so we all have decided to support the Raja this election. We had elected his party to power in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council two years ago. The council is trying to do all that it can with the limited funds at its disposal,” Durjoy said.
Council has 30 seats but elections are held in 28 and the TIPRA Motha won 18. Nine seats went to the BJP and one to an independent candidate. The results are testimony to the tribe-based party climbing up the popularity charts in the tribal areas.
The tribals are unanimous on the statehood demand. They are convinced the TIPRA Motha can fight for their cause.
“We all support the 'Bubagra'. We are certain his party will form the next government,” Champa Debbarma, a voter in the Dhalai district, said.
On the roads from Mandwi to Patni in West Tripura district and Mandwi to Ambasa in the Dhalai district, groups of tribals were seen hanging out by the roadside, engrossed in some serious discussions. The polls, 'Bubagra' and Greater Tipraland were the topics.
“We have seen the Congress, Left and BJP but we haven’t got our Constitutional rights (statehood). We are now pinning our hopes on the 'Bubagra'. He will not let us down,” Sadhan Debbarma told TNIE.
Sukesh Debbarma, a native of Mandwi, said the ruling BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) combine could not live up to the tribals’ expectations.
“The present government could not solve our problems. Not just basic amenities, the tribal areas lack roads and other infrastructures, including educational institutes. The 25-year Left rule (1993-2018) was a better time comparatively. We had more expectations in 2018 but the BJP failed to deliver,” Sukesh said.
“A separate state will give us independence,” he added, expressing confidence the 'Bubagra' can help achieve statehood.
Auto-rickshaw driver Samir Debbarma nodded his head in agreement while sipping tea at the Mandwi bazaar. “I will vote for Maharaj’s party. My friends and acquittances will do the same,” he said.
At Jorsora Masuraipara, a Reang (tribe) village in Dhalai, Jogendra Reang has no doubt TIPRA Motha will rise to power.
“The slogan in the last election was Chalo Paltai (let’s change). We removed the Left Front from power but got no positive results. So, we have now resolved to give a chance to the TIPRA Motha,” Reang said.
Dulan Tripura, a 23-year-old tribal who works at a hotel in the state capital Agartala, said the TIPRA Motha has been able to drum up support in its favour in his Gomati district.
The party, contesting 41 seats, is going at it alone. The BJP had sought to align with it but it demanded a written commitment to statehood first. The BJP refused.
With a long career in Congress during which he also served it as the state chief, Pradyot is no novice in politics. The talk is that the polls would throw up a fractured mandate and the TIPRA Motha will lend its support to the BJP.
Over the past 55 years, Tripura has had over a dozen tribe-based parties. They were floated to fight for the tribals’ cause. Some died early while others merged themselves with other political entities. Currently, TIPRA Motha and IPFT are the only two tribe-based parties.