Pradyot says Tiprasa Accord implementation primary goal

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 Tripura royal head and Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarman has reiterated that he does not intend to return to politics, saying his focus is on the implementation of the Tiprasa Accord, development and maintaining peace in the state.

Debbarman was addressing participants at Hosom Bhujan, a traditional feast hosted by the royal head on the occasion of Bijoya Dashami.

On this occasion, the head of the royal family exchanges greetings with community heads representing different communities in Tripura. 

Referring to his decision to quit politics, he said years of political activity had taken a toll on his health, but he continued to fight for the rights of the Tiprasa people.

“I am 49 years old. Politics has taken a toll on my health. For three months in different periods of the year, I am unable to walk. Even then, I went to the Supreme Court to fight for you,” he said.

Recalling the challenges he faced during his political journey, Debbarman said several leaders whom he had helped build up within the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) had left when the system was working against him.

He said he could have remained silent or withdrawn from the fight but chose to stand up for the community despite being unwell.

Debbarman said he would take a stand if the Tiprasa Accord was not implemented, while urging the community to remain united and ensure that its rights were protected.

“I want the Tiprasa Accord to secure the rights of your children. Nobody should give up the rights of their children,” he said.

Emphasising the need for unity among indigenous and non-indigenous communities, he called for greater attention to development and less political confrontation.

“Tripura's communities should remain united, the state should develop, there should be less politics and more development, and no riots. My dream is for Tripura, an ancient historical state, to emerge again,” he said.

He also appealed to Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste communities, as well as tribal and non-tribal people, to avoid confrontation and raise their demands collectively before the Centre.

“If there is one major achievement of mine, it is that I have given respect to Tiprasa youth. Today, they can walk around in Agartala and nobody will touch them,” he said.

Debbarman also claimed that communal riots had not occurred during his tenure, despite attempts by some people to trigger violence. He said such incidents would have harmed children belonging to Bengali, Muslim and indigenous communities.

He said he had refrained from encouraging communal tensions because peace was necessary for development.

Recalling the frequent shutdowns that had taken place earlier, Debbarman said he had tried to bring them to an end and had succeeded in that effort.

His remarks came after he recently announced his decision to retire from politics and subsequently ruled out a comeback, saying he wanted to devote his time to Tripura's development and continue performing his traditional duties as the state's royal head.

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