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In Tripura, the alliance of Bharatiya Janata Party and Tipra Motha Party was formed in March 2024. When BJP formed the government after the elections, a year later Tipra Motha joined the government. That means this post-election alliance was formed. In fact, Pradyot Debbarma’s party, which contested the assembly elections for the first time in the state, single-handedly won 13 seats and emerged as a major political force in the state. Tipra Motha ran the government in alliance with BJP for almost two years. But, in recent months there has been a lot of ups and downs between the two parties.

The main reason behind this alliance was the tribal issues, Greater Tipraland and the demand for tribal rights. After talks between the two parties, an agreement was reached with the central and state governments, which included promises of tribal development. After joining the government, Tipra Motha got a ministerial post in the government, which gave her policy influence. But currently, due to a controversial agreement, tribal politics is getting a new shape in Tripura. Let us know what this whole matter is about…

Agreement between Tipra Motha and BJP

The agreement that Tipra Motha President Pradyot Kishore Debbarma had made with BJP has now been ruined. He had made an agreement with BJP that the Centre, State and the party would work together on the main issues and demands of the tribal society, but he said that no concrete work has been done on this. The alliance has almost broken after his accusation. Now both the parties have become rivals in Tripura. As the date of April 12 is approaching, the tension between the two is increasing.

Actually, Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections are to be held on 12th. Tipra Motha is currently in charge of the council. Amidst these developments, leaders and MLAs of Tipra Motha are leaving the party and joining BJP. Also the agreement has not yet come into force. After the break of the alliance, the TTAADC elections will decide who ultimately holds the ultimate power of tribal politics in Tripura. BJP or Tipra Motha?

Pradyot made serious allegations against BJP

This week, Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Debbarma alleged that he had been approached by the BJP with a proposal. He said that BJP had asked in the proposal that TTAADC should agree to an unconditional alliance with the party before the elections and in return get conditional funding and electoral victory. Debbarma said that this proposal of BJP was clearly rejected because BJP did not make any promise in the proposal to respect the ‘Tiprasa Agreement’.

Tipra Motha Party started disintegrating

As soon as Pradyot Debbarma talked about breaking the alliance with BJP, a big incident happened in Tripura. Two senior leaders of Tipra Motha, Saudagar Kalai and Anant Debbarma joined BJP along with their supporters. Anant Debbarma is the executive member (equivalent to a state cabinet minister) of TTAADC. Workers of Tipra Motha also joined BJP with him. This step is no less than a shock for Debbarma.

However, after this Pradyot has said that he has no resentment towards those who left the party. He said, ‘People cannot be bought with money and posts’. This was clearly an indication of BJP’s strategy of luring. Expressing concern, senior Tipra Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma alleged that party minister Animesh Debbarma was quietly working for the BJP. Both Animesh Debbarma and MLA Chitta Ranjan Debbarma were seen at a BJP rally in Dhalai and Khowai district.

What did BJP say on this controversy?

Tripura BJP has rejected Pradyot Debbarma’s allegations as political drama. On the question of Tipra Motha MLAs and leaders joining BJP, BJP said, ‘Many people who have good social and political presence in different parts of the state are in our touch. The organization will decide when he will be included in the party.

Questioning Pradyot Debbarma’s allegations, BJP said that saying that non-tribals are oppressing tribals is a calculated move. Neither tribals nor non-tribals believe in it. However, meanwhile Pradyot has said that his quarrel is with the BJP leadership of Tripura state and not with the central BJP high command. This statement of Tipra Motha is part of strategic thinking so that there remains scope for coordination with BJP in future.

If BJP wins the TTAADC elections, then national politics may enter tribal areas, which will reduce the space for regional parties based on ethnicity. Also Tipra Motha will be weak in the state.

What is TTAADC?

TTAADC is not a typical local body. It was created under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in the year 1982. It is an autonomous body that governs approximately 70 percent of the geographical area of ​​Tripura. 20 out of 60 seats in the Tripura Assembly are reserved for tribal communities. The council controls these 20 seats. The party that wins the TTAADC elections has a huge impact on the mathematics of the assembly elections. There are a total of 28 seats in the council. Out of this, Tipra Motha has 18 seats. The special thing is that in 2021, Tipra Motha came to power in the council by contesting elections for the first time.

money game in council

Tribal people constitute 30 percent of Tripura’s population. He has had complaints for a long time. Grievances include limited financial autonomy, lack of land ownership within ADC boundaries, poor access to health and drinking water, and low representation in political institutions. In Tripura, Rs 7,542 crore was given for Tribal Sub Plan in the budget of 2026-27. This is 39.39 percent of the total expenditure of the state. But, TTAADC’s share in this was only Rs 914.82 crore. Regional parties have always accused the council of lack of funds. In return, state governments blame administrative failures within the council itself.

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Let us tell you that the purpose of the Tiprasa Agreement, signed before Tipra Motha joined the BJP-led alliance in 2024, was to resolve these disputes through a three-way agreement between the Central Government, Tripura State Government and the party. It has not been implemented.