Those who came to Tripura from East Pakistan were displaced people, not refugees: CM

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Friday, August 14, said people who migrated to the state from erstwhile East Pakistan following the 1947 Partition should be regarded as “displaced people” rather than refugees.

Addressing a programme to mark Partition Horrors Remembrance Day in Agartala, Saha said the Partition, carried out in 1947, had a profound impact on Tripura, which shared a border with erstwhile East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

He said the Partition led to a large influx of people, particularly Bengali Hindus, into Tripura and significantly altered the demographic composition of the state.

“Areas like Comilla, Chakla Roshanabad and Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) which are in Bangladesh were part of the Kingdom of Tripura. The Partition had taken away these areas,” Saha said.

He said many Hindus facing difficulties in erstwhile East Pakistan were forced to leave their homes and properties and settle in Tripura.

“Those who have come from erstwhile East Pakistan to Tripura leaving their properties and settled here because of the Partition are not refugees but should be treated as displaced people,” he said.

Saha said the circumstances in Tripura were different from those in other states such as Assam, though he did not elaborate.

He stressed the need to sensitise the younger generation about the long-term consequences of Partition and its impact on the country.

The chief minister also said the BJP was committed to national integrity and nationalism.

Referring to the ongoing Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, Saha said Independence Day was earlier observed primarily on August 15 to honour freedom fighters, while the campaign under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was being observed over a week to promote nationalism.

Saha also criticised the opposition CPI(M), accusing it of trying to create problems and seeking political mileage from public grievances.

Without naming former chief minister Manik Sarkar, he referred to his recent statement about launching a movement with a “militant mindset” if the BJP-led government failed to address people’s grievances.

Saha said the Communist party had become “restless for power”.

Sarkar had made the remarks at a rally on Monday, saying people would launch a movement with a “militant mindset” if their grievances were not addressed.