Agartala, August 26: TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma on Wednesday stepped up pressure on the BJP-led government over the prolonged delay in clearing legislation passed by the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC), warning that continued inaction on indigenous issues could force him to reconsider the party’s alliance with the NDA.
Pradyot made the remarks after meeting Tripura Governor Indra Sena Reddy Nallu at Lok Bhavan, accompanied by TTADC Chief Executive Member Runil Debbarma. The meeting centred on several bills passed by the elected autonomous council that are yet to receive the Governor’s assent.
According to Pradyot, around 18 bills covering land, administrative reforms, recruitment policy and customary laws have remained pending for years, with some dating back to 2007. He alleged that in several cases the legislation had not even reached the Governor because the state government’s Tribal Welfare Department, through which ADC bills are routed, had not forwarded them.
“If the bill does not come to the Governor, how will the Governor sign it?” Pradyot asked.
He said he submitted a written representation to the Governor seeking clarity on the status of the bills and urging him to take up the matter with the state government. Pradyot also referred to the Supreme Court’s observations in the Tamil Nadu Governor case, while acknowledging that the procedural route for ADC legislation in Tripura is different.
The TIPRA Motha chief said the delay was putting elected ADC representatives in a difficult position as people were questioning why promised laws had not been delivered.
The Governor, Pradyot said, assured him that “things are being sorted out”, but no specific timeline was provided.
The issue has increasingly acquired political significance amid differences between the BJP and TIPRA Motha over implementation of the March 2024 tripartite agreement and demands for greater self-government for indigenous people.
“If the Government of India and the state government do not give our people the rights of Tripura self-government, I cannot go to the people and talk about the alliance,” Pradyot said.
He stressed that TIPRA Motha remained an independent party and that its alliance with the BJP was based on the Tripura Accord. He also said the party’s MLAs would meet on Wednesday evening to decide their strategy.
With village council elections approaching and the Assembly session set to begin soon, Pradyot’s remarks are likely to intensify speculation over the future of the BJP-TIPRA Motha alliance. For TIPRA Motha, the pending ADC bills and implementation of the tripartite agreement have emerged as key tests of the alliance’s ability to deliver on its commitments to Tripura’s indigenous population.
