Agartala: Founder of TIPRA Motha party, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarman, on Wednesday, left for Delhi reportedly after receiving a call from the Government of India to hold talks on their core demand for a constitutional solution. Debbarman had just ascended to the stage and started his speech, marking the beginning of his pre-announced fast unto-death agitation.
One of his associates handed him the phone while he was addressing the gathering at Hatai Kotor (formerly known as Baramura). He stopped speaking and attended the call. Regarding the conversation that transpired over the phone, Debbarman said, “I was invited to go to Delhi.” “Should I go there?” he asked. The response was lukewarm. Again, he asked, “Should I go there?” The response was mixed. “They have invited me, so I should go,” he told the gathering in an affirmative tone. His followers cheered in celebration. “Don’t celebrate too early. We don’t want this protest to lose its weight. I am going to Delhi. Wait for me. I will hold talks with the authorities but will never compromise. My fast will continue. I will go there, meet the authorities, and if something happens, we shall break our fast together here on the same stage. YTF (Youth Tipra Federation), it is your responsibility to protect this stage,” Debbarman told his supporters.
After a dramatic turn of events, the crowd was dispersed. The agitation started earlier in the morning followed by rituals. Debbarman offered Puja at the temple inside the royal palace and left for the protest site. Amidst religious choruses being sung by his supporters, he performed another Yajna at the protest site before entering the stage for the “fast unto death”. Thousands of supporters from different corners of the state participated in the protests.
The traffic movement through the national highway was also impacted. The police officials diverted the movement of passenger-carrying vehicles through the alternative Khowai-Agartala National Highway instead of the Assam-Agartala National Highway. Located 30 kilometers from Agartala city, the protest was organised in the foothills of Hatai Kotor, previously known as Baramura. Debbarman started his speech on his usual note, describing how the whole tribal society that used to rule the state once is now living at the mercy of others.
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He assured his supporters that he would not return empty-handed. Senior leaders of the party, including Leader of the Opposition, Animesh Debbarma, MLAs, MDCs, and members of the Tipra Citizens Federation, the Bengali wing of the protest, also participated in the agitation. According to Tripura Police, the protests were more or less peaceful.
“The traffic was diverted because a huge number of people gathered at the protest site, which may exceed the figure of 7,000. The whole national highway was occupied by supporters pouring in from different locations of the state,” a senior official said.
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