Pradyot Manikya urges restraint after Village Committee poll results, warns violence will hurt next generation

Founder of the Tipra Motha Party and royal scion of Tripura, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Sunday, October 4 has appealed to people to maintain peace and refrain from violence following the announcement of the Village Committee election results which schedule to take place on October 5.

Pradyot said that the election results would see some candidates and parties emerge victorious while others would face defeat. However, he stressed that violence against political opponents after the results would ultimately amount to a loss for the entire Tiprasa community.

“Tomorrow, someone will win and someone will lose. It may be Tipra Motha, BJP, Congress, CPIM, IPFT or any other party. But if the winner beats or attacks the loser, that victory will not belong to Motha, CPM, Congress or BJP. It will be a defeat for the Tiprasa people,” he said.

Pradyot urged supporters of all political parties to avoid clashes and physical violence in villages after the results.

He said that both the victim and the perpetrator of any such violence would belong to the same community. “The person who gets beaten will be Tiprasa and the person who beats him will also be Tiprasa. If Tiprasa fights Tiprasa, we will be damaging the future of our children,” he said.

Clarifying that his appeal was not directed only at Tipra Motha supporters, Pradyot appealed to workers and supporters of the BJP, CPM, Congress and IPFT as well.

He said he had fought the Village Council election issue even in the Supreme Court not merely for the Tipra Motha Party, but for the people and their political rights.

“I want the final victory to belong to our people, our community and our Tipra,” he said.
Pradyot also expressed concern that violence after the election results would damage the image of the Tiprasa community across the Northeast.

“If people start beating each other after or during the results, people will laugh at us,” he said, adding that several people had already contacted him over concerns surrounding the post-result situation.

He urged all political parties and their supporters to demonstrate restraint and ensure that the Village Council election results do not become a cause for violence or division among the people.