"We don't want 'bheek', funds from Delhi don't reach tribal villages….": Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Manikya

New Delhi [India], September 17 (ANI): Noting that development funds sent by the Centre to Tripura government must be adequately distributed for the progress of the indigenous people of the state, Tipra Motha Party president Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma has said “they don’t want bheek” and getting funds for the progress of the tribal population is their right.

In an interview with ANI, Pradyot Debbarma spoke of the need for the councils to have power to issue land documents to people.

Pradyot Debbarma, who is scion of Tripura’s erstwhile royal family, also spoke of his vision of Greater Tipraland. He said there is need to work to empower the local communities and said script of Kokborok language should be of their choice.

“First thing, we want to write Kokborok, which is our mother tongue…We want to write it in a script that we want. Is there an ancient script? We had a script. We lost it. There is a debate, but we would prefer it in the Roman script. We want to write because today if you learn English, you can compete in, you can get jobs anywhere in the country, abroad, everywhere. So it helps us if you can learn Kokborok in the Roman script. Second is we want land rights. If you do not have land rights, so today national highways are being made and people are removed. We don’t have pattas. You’ve been living there in this land…people have been living. And you do not have patas. Why? Because under the Communist government, we were all made landless,” he said.

“Under the erstwhile governments, tribals were made landless. You can buy a mobile phone, you’ll have a receipt to say that you own this mobile phone. You can buy a television. You can buy a scooter. But you are living in a house. For 100 years, 200 years. You are living in a village. And you don’t have land rights. So we want the state government…and we want the tribal councils the right to issue patas to our own people. In Meghalaya the tribals can own their own land. The Council can issue pattas, land documents,” he added.

Kokborok, Halam, Mogh and Chakma are non-scheduled/tribal Languages, which are spoken in Tripura, with a rich literary tradition.

Pradyot Debbarma said that with people coming from outside, the proportion of the tribal population in the state has come down.

“We don’t have the authority to issue land documents. Politically, we feel that people have come to our state. Today, we have become one third. We have the demand of the state of Tipra land. You can give it now. You think it won’t happen now. It will happen after five years, 10 years. So give something else now. Direct funding. Money comes from Delhi. Money comes from Delhi to Agartala. Money doesn’t come from Agartala to our area. Contradicting statements come that we gave this, we gave that. We don’t want bheek. This is our right…and you give direct funding to the tribals here,” he said.

Tipra Motha has been in power in TTAADC (Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council) since 2021.

Pradyot Debbarma recalled meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the party’s demands.

“We want a better future. We want proper universities. We want scholarships. We want many other things. I don’t understand why the state government is taking so much time. And that’s what we told Amit Shahji. Sir, we are not asking for anything outside the constitution. These are our constitutional rights,” he added.

Pradyot Debbarma said students of Tripura are not being able to write some competitive exams in their mother tongue and this should be addressed.

Answering a query, he said Tripura faces the problem of drugs coming from across the border.

“HIV is a problem in Tripura. Again, drugs coming from across the border, joblessness, frustration, lack of identity… And by the way, we speak fantastic Hindi. People may not know, we sing very well in Hindi. People think the North is so only English. We sing in English, of course. We are very good. We have some great singers. But we also have SD Barman, RD Barman. They are from Tripura. So we are very keen to learn Kokborok in English language. But we are very keen to learn Hindi as well,” he said.

“When I see my Tiprasa boys and girls, when they are there, and the way they speak Hindi, the way we speak English, you feel proud. And these are the future of tomorrow,” he added. (ANI)

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