Tripura Congress accuses Pradyot Debbarma of misleading people ahead of Village Committee polls

The Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee on September 7 launched a sharp attack on Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, accusing him of allegedly misleading the tribal population ahead of the upcoming Village Committee elections and pursuing a political strategy that, according to the party, could benefit the BJP.

In a press statement, Tripura Pradesh Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha questioned the proposed understanding between the BJP and Tipra Motha following their recent meetings in Delhi, saying that the details and timeline for implementing the arrangement remain unclear.

Saha questioned when the proposed one-month period for implementation of the agreement would begin and end, and under which legal provisions it could be implemented once the election notification is issued. He also alleged that neither the contents of the agreement nor the demands raised by Tipra Motha have been made public.

Referring to Debbarma’s recent Facebook Live session, the Congress leader accused the Tipra Motha chief of allegedly presenting misleading and fabricated information with the intention of confusing voters and dividing anti-BJP votes.

Saha further alleged that the BJP-Tipra Motha understanding extends beyond the upcoming Village Committee elections and is part of a broader political strategy for the 2028 Tripura Assembly elections. He claimed that administrative and electoral tactics could be used to divide anti-BJP votes.

The Pradesh Congress president asserted that the political situation witnessed in 2023 would not be repeated, expressing confidence that voters would reject what he termed the “BJP-Motha vote division strategy.”

The Congress also rejected Debbarma’s reported assertion that the BJP and Congress are not each other’s principal political opponents. Saha termed the position unacceptable to Congress workers and the people of Tripura.

Saha also accused the Tipra Motha leadership of prioritising political and personal interests after becoming part of the governing arrangement in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). He alleged that development opportunities in the ADC areas had been compromised.

Responding to Debbarma’s apparent criticism and advice to the Congress, Saha said the party has always remained open to suggestions from honest, experienced and politically neutral experts in fields such as the economy, education, healthcare, science and technology, employment, national security and development.

However, he said the Congress would not accept advice from individuals or forces that, according to him, work against national interests or are allegedly associated with corruption and exploitation of public resources.

Saha appealed to the people of Tripura to expose what he described as the “politics of loot and division” and work towards creating a healthier political environment in the state.

The allegations made by the Congress are political claims, and no independent verification of the accusations against Debbarma or Tipra Motha was provided in the statement.