Agartala: With the Lok Sabha elections round the corner, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has launched a strategic campaign in the new settlements of the internally displaced Bru migrants. Around 34,000 Brus, who had been rendered homeless two decades back in Mizoram owing to ethnic clashes, attained the status of permanent residents in Tripura as per the provisions of the quadripartite agreement signed in January 2020.
All these families received land and huts constructed at as many as 12 locations all across Tripura. Some key areas include Kanchanpur, Shikaribari, Kaskaupara, West Kalajhari, Amarpur and so on. Most Brus, barring a couple of settlements, received land and huts in constituencies considered the strongholds of the opposition TIPRA Motha. To be more precise, they resettled in areas that fall under the jurisdiction of TTAADC, the state’s only autonomous tribal district council under the sixth schedule in the Indian constitution.
In the last assembly elections held in 2023, BJP’s internal assessment showed that the party failed to emerge as a popular political identity among the Brus even though the BJP-led state and central governments worked overtime to get the imbroglio over their resettlement resolved. It was a clean sweep for TIPRA Motha in almost all the organizational booths where Bru voters were enrolled in the electoral rolls.
That the votes of Bru camps went to the opposition TIPRA Motha in the majority despite branding the Bru pact as a feather of success for the government was discussed at length in the post-poll assessment report prepared by the state BJP. Keeping this in mind, the BJP seems to be very serious about expanding its foothold among the Brus as garnering support from the new settlers is being seen as a “prestige issue” for the party in power.
To understand the reason behind the unbridled popularity and hold that TIPRA Motha and its founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarman enjoy among the new Bru settlers, EastMojo spoke to some of the Bru settlers and leaders from different settlements who had admitted that even though TIPRA overpowered BJP in the political battle there is an obvious swing towards the saffron camp this time.
Most of the new voters are of the opinion that BJP and TIPRA Motha had equal stakes in making the signing of the quadripartite agreement possible. “Undoubtedly, the BJP government in Tripura understood our genuine problems and took up the issue with the Centre. We are grateful to the government that now the tag of refugee is no longer associated with our identity. But we can’t rule out the role played by TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarman in pursuing the government and giving our voice a louder pitch,” explained Lama Reang, a resident of West Kalajhari Bru settlement.
Moreover, unlike BJP, TIPRA Motha activists extensively campaigned in the Bru resettlement camps before the 2023 elections which helped the party reap rich dividends during the polls.
Meanwhile, there seems to be a change of mood of voters in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. According to the party figures, around 1,000 Bru families have joined the saffron camp in the past month through multiple joining programmes attended by BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharjee and other Janjati leaders.
“The performance of TIPRA Motha party MLAs was not that impactful in the last year. Many of them didn’t even take the pains to inquire how their voters were doing after getting elected. It is that vacuum where BJP stepped in and started reaching out to the Brus. This time, the ruling party will certainly improve their vote share among the Brus,” Bru leader Laldingliana Toimoi told EastMojo.
He said their demands like setting up Panchayats, Markets, good communication, healthcare etc. can only be fulfilled by the ruling party. “BJP is in power at the Centre as well as in the state. They are in a better position to give something to our people rather than a party which is in opposition. We hold Maharaja in high regard but this time there is a genuine sentiment among the voters that BJP has a better track record of delivering things.”
According to him, the resettlement package worth Rs 600 crore could become a reality because of the BJP-led central and state governments. Laldinghliana is the head of Bru settlements in West Kalajhari and a couple of others in the Dhalai district. Signatory in the Bru accord, Bruno Msha, also said the BJP had successfully made inroads in the Bru settlements. “I can’t say how many voters will vote for BJP but the party has gained strength and they will do good in the next elections.”
According to sources in the Tripura State Election Commission, about 20,000 Bru voters had enrolled with the Election Commission of India and would be eligible to vote in the Lok Sabha elections.
However, a section of Bru leaders also flagged concerns about the rise of the BJP in the Bru settlements. “We have experienced that people with a BJP leaning get the upper hand in decision-making. The state government also tends to prefer leaders who have practically turned into BJP activists. This has created a class divide among the Bru leaders, which might prove detrimental for the society,” a Bru activist informed EastMojo requesting anonymity.
According to the dissenting Bru leaders, this discrimination has given rise to a power struggle within them. “When any political party or the government will only keep listening to a handful of people, they will start exploiting that privilege. Even today, several issues are being suppressed by leaders close to the ruling party. The pace of work is also not equitable everywhere. The leaders who are close to the ruling party get extra attention and in other places, things look hunky-dory,” added a leader.
The monitoring committee’s meeting for the Bru settlement pact is slated to be held in March or April. “We shall try to express our grievances in the meeting,” he concluded. Meanwhile, a BJP top functionary entrusted with the responsibility of looking after the party campaign in Bru areas said, “We are moving ahead in the new settlements with a straightforward contour of the campaign. We are making the people of these settlements aware of the efforts made by the Central and state governments to make their lives better. Right from housing to toilets, monthly assistance to the fixed deposit; all these benefits are extended by the central government while the state government acts as the implementing agency of the Rs 600 crore project. No other political party had any role in it.”
On being contacted on the issue, BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharjee said, “Tell me one achievement of the ruling party of the TTAADC. They are largely dependent on their slogan. If they want, we have a detailed account of the work we have accomplished in the last six and a half years. The Brus are the beneficiaries of the BJP-led Central government’s efforts to bring peace in the North East.”
The BJP MP from the East Tripura parliamentary constituency who had administered a couple of joining programmes in the Bru settlements said the Brus have started to realise who their real friends were.
“The Brus have finally realized their mistake of supporting a party with no political future. BJP is the party that actively worked for all the Janjati leaders, and it will continue its efforts to improve the lives of people through its policies,” he added.
Many in the BJP blame former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb for the rise of Pradyot Kishore Debbarman’s political stature and popularity among the Brus.
“Instead of promoting the leaders of his party, Deb, during his stint as Chief Minister of Tripura, accompanied Pradyot with him for signing the quadripartite agreement at a time when he held no constitutional post. In various government-sponsored events, Pradyot Debbarman was invited as a guest, and BJP’s own Janjati MLAs, MPs, and MDCs were sidelined,” an insider of the BJP added.
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