Days after the Opposition CPI (M) and Congress called him to join hands to wrest power from BJP in Tripura, Pradyot Deb Barma, the Chief of Tipra Motha, a forum of regional parties on Monday announced that he would make no compromise on the demand for Greater Tipraland.
"There is so much pressure on me. They are threatening to put me in jail, breaking our party and even breaking the autonomous council. But let me tell the national parties clearly that there will be no compromise on the issue of Greater Tipraland. We will keep fighting till the last individual," Deb Barma said while addressing a rally of Tipra Women Federation at Khumulwng, the headquarters of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC) in South Tripura.
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He, however, did not name the party or individual who are putting pressure on him. "We don't trust in your words, give us in writing. If not in writing, don't try to buy me, don't give me a lollipop. It's not just my fight, it's the fight of 13 lakh indigenous Tripuris," Pradyot further said.
There are at least 20 Assembly seats under the TTADC and Tipra Motha defeated BJP and its ally Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) in the Council elections held in March last year. Pradyot has also invited the IPFT to join hands and fight the elections together with the demand for Greater Tipraland.
On Monday, Deb Barma reiterated that it was time for unity of all including the IPFT in order to protect the rights of the indigenous Tripuris. "If Tipra Motha and IPFT don't unite, we will get nothing. Our democracy is in danger today. No one talks about hospitals here, they talk about temples. They talk about Pakistan-China but not about the open borders with Bangladesh. So we all must fight together. We will fight and send the Delhi parties to Delhi," Pradyot said. The IPFT, however, has not yet responded to Tipra Motha's call for unity for the Assembly elections slated next month.
Tipra Motha may become a challenge for both BJP and IPFT in the constituencies under the TTADC.
The CPI (M) and Congress on January 9 stated that they are willing to talk on all issues with Tipra Motha including the demand for separate state. "Question is whether we want to defeat the BJP and protect our democracy or not. Therefore, all secular parties should join hands against BJP," CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury said on January 9 in Agartala.