Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Bikram Manikya lashed out at Bangladeshi illegal immigrants and Rohingyas entering Tripura and other states of India. In his recent interview with ANI journalist Smita Prakash, Pradyot Manikya also highlighted the need for electoral verification of voters in Tripura. Significantly, he emphasised that India needs to take Chittagong Hill Tract from Bangladesh.
The politician from Tripura is also known for his activism for Greater Tipraland and the signing of Tiprasa Accord. Tiprasa accord deals with giving land rights and protection to the indigenous people of Tripura.
Pradyot Manikya on Bihar
During the podcast, Manikya questioned how people from Myanmar entered Bihar. He suggested that the illegal immigrants must have entered India through the Eastern Corridor or via the Chittagong Hill Tract. He emphasised the need for verification of voters in Tripura like Bihar.
According to Manikya, 200 trucks of illegal migrants from Assam were entering Dimapur, a city in the North Eastern state of Nagaland. He said Nagaland police had to stop those trucks from entering the state at 2 am in the night. He said the illegal were trying to enter Nagaland because Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was conducting eviction drives in Assam.
Hindu Migration To Tripura
Pradyot Manikya also recalled how his grandmother, then the ruling queen of Tripura, took the decision of merging the Kingdom into Secular India in 1949 instead of Islamic East Pakistan after direct communication with Sardar Patel. He said that there were movement of Pakistani troops near the Tripura Border and that Pakistan wanted to invade Tripura.
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He spoke about the riots at various places like Noakhali, Cumilla which forced Hindu Bengalis to migrate to Tripura. He said that the indigenous people of Tripura at that time of crisis gave shelter to the Hindu people. And the Bengali Hindus who came to Tripura then could not go back home because of the existing anti-Hindu sentiments in their native places. He said, “A lot of our Hindu brothers and sisters’ properties were burnt, women were raped, temples were burnt, so they all came over to Tripura.”
According to Manikya, the tribal people of Tripura accommodated thrice their population size of Bengali speaking Hindus in their lands. This then gave rise to anti-Bengali Hindu sentiment among the tribal population.
Pradyot Manikya calls for unity between Bengali Hindus and Tribal Population
Pradyot Manikya then said that if the Bengali Hindus and the indigenous tribal people in Tripura join hands, Bangladesh can be taught a lesson.
He said if the Indian government takes back the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and Cox Bazar, the entire politico-economic landscape of Northeast will change. Northeast will no longer be landlocked and this will settle the economic and trade problems in the Northeast.
Pradyot said if India had taken CHT and Cox Bazar in 1971, there would have been an open sea in Northeast. “If we could have taken Chittagong Hill Tract during 1971, there would have been no need to go to Goa.”
‘Real Enemy is Bangladesh’
When asked about the demand for Greater Tipraland, Pradyot Manikya said, “Greater Tipraland is when we all get together and ‘Thoko’ (Strike) Bangladesh’.” He also added, “If we have to economically survive and prove Mohammed Yunus wrong, Chittagong port is essential for our economic survivability. Not Tripura, the whole of Northeast.”
Further he added, “If India is talking about becoming a superpower, and we cannot even tackle Bangladesh, which is provoking us, then I think we should give up the dream.”
The Tipra Motha Chief emphasised that Bengali Hindus and the tribal population of Tripura must realise that the real enemy is not inside, the real enemy is outside (Bangladesh).
“ISI people gave arms to the Tribal people and the Bangladeshi people removed the Chakmas from Kaptai Dam areas. Bangladeshi people killed the Chakma people then and they are also killing them today,” said Manikya. He also wanted the indigenous tribal population of Tripura to realise this.
According to Pradyot Manikya, fondly called Bubagra, Bengali Hindus and the Tribal peoples of Tripura should stop fighting among themselves and instead focus on the real threat outside. “Trump says let us make America great again, I say make North East great again.”
‘If we do not deal with Bangladesh first, they would deal with us first’
Manikya Debbarma highlighted the fact that during partition of India in August 1947, people in Rangamati and other parts of CHT raised Indian flags to protest the partition. Some of the people also thought they got independence and were Indians. Flags were hoisted for 2-3 days before the Pakistani troops moved into the Chittagong Hill Tract. Pradyot said, “Then they came in and massacred the people.”
Pradyot Manikya Debbarma also questioned the soft stance of the Indian government against Bangladesh. He said that people in the CHT were ready to get integrated with India.
