Tripura: No national party will solve Northeast issues, be self-reliant, says Pradyot

Agartala: Tipra Motha founder and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarman on Tuesday asserted that instead of relying on national parties and central leaders, the people of the Northeast should strive to empower themselves so that local issues could be addressed and solved locally.

Speaking to his followers through a social media livestream, a day after the announcement of One Northeast, Pradyot said the people of the Northeast have long been made to feel inferior and dependent on Delhi for solutions. “We have accepted somewhere in our minds that we are servants. The senior generation thinks we are inferior. Every national party leader attacks us, and we remain divided,” he said.

He questioned why issues like the Inner Line Permit and the proper inclusion of Northeast history and culture in national educational curricula were never seriously discussed. “For every issue, our leaders look to Delhi for direction. Illegal immigration is a real problem, and yet we keep fighting among ourselves while outsiders laugh,” he said.

Urging the tribal and Bengali communities of Tripura to end mutual hostility, Pradyot said, “The tribals call Bengalis Bangladeshi, and Bengalis call tribals Mongolian. We must unite and fight as one. Because of our internal division, we have fallen behind.”

The Tipra Motha leader asserted that the political model followed in the region had failed and that a new kind of politics was needed for the future generation. “The health of our democracy depends on new thinking. The future of our children lies in a new model of politics, not the same old divisive one,” he said.

Pradyot also announced that leaders from several Northeast states have contacted him to join the movement for a united regional front.

“In the next 45 days, the committee we have constituted will begin consultations to define our guiding principles and ideology. We are starting a democratic and consultative process. This is a fight for survival,” he said, adding that the new entity would work for the people and not serve personal ambitions.

Lashing out at national parties, Pradyot said he was being attacked by leaders of the BJP, Congress, and CPI(M). “A person matters in a party only if he can win elections. I was part of a national party too, but I left because they do not care about our issues. Whenever there is racial discrimination against our students, the national parties remain silent because those responsible are their voters,” he remarked.

He criticised the Centre’s neglect of the region despite decades of loyalty to national parties. “It’s been 76 years since Tripura and Manipur merged with India, and 75 years of our people voting faithfully. Why are Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Odisha, or Haryana more important than the Northeast?” he asked.

Reiterating his stand for regional self-determination, Pradyot said, “If you want change, it must begin here. No leader from Delhi will come and solve the Northeast’s problems. I will stand for every Northeasterner — in Tripura, in the Northeast, and in Delhi.”