Tripura: BJP Ally's Women's Wing Protests Against Government's Plan to Transform Royal Palace into Luxury Hotel

Agartala, Dec 4 (NationPress) The women's faction of the ruling BJP ally, Tipra Motha Party (TMP), conducted a large-scale protest on Wednesday opposing the Tripura government's alleged initiative to privatize the renowned Pushpabanta Palace and transform it into a five-star hotel managed by a private organization.

Following a series of demonstrations by various factions of TMP, the Tripura Women Federation orchestrated a sit-in protest against the government's proposal to convert the Pushpabanta Palace into a hotel.

Senior TMP figure and Chairman of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), Jagadhish Debbarma, stated that the iconic 107-year-old Pushpabanta Palace is a historical landmark, significant not only for the tribal community but for all residents of the state.

"We are not opposed to the development of Tripura or the advancement of tourism in the state, but not at the expense of the state's historical treasures," the senior tribal leader remarked during the sit-in protest in the city.

He emphasized that the Pushpabanta Palace is a treasured asset of the people of Tripura, and the government cannot transfer historical properties to others for commercial purposes.

"We will persist in our protests until the state government abandons its plans," Debbarma asserted.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury stated separately that the government has not yet finalized any agreements to hand over the palace to a private entity for hotel establishment.

"If the palace is eventually transferred to a private party, its structural integrity will be preserved," the Chief Minister noted.

Last week, the TMP's youth division, Youth TIPRA Federation (YTF), and the Tipra Students’ Federation (TSF) also held protests in front of the royal palace in Agartala, urging the state government to refrain from transferring the iconic palace to a private hotel group.

The opposition Congress party has also vocally opposed the state government's initiative.

Congress spokesperson Prabir Chakraborty highlighted that during his visit to Tripura in 1926, Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore stayed at the royal residence and composed numerous songs on the palace's veranda.

He recalled that the then king, Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur, celebrated Tagore's 80th birthday in the important palace in 1941.

After India gained independence, Maharani Kanchan Prabha Devi transferred the palace to the state government in 1949.

Chakraborty added that after President Droupadi Murmu laid the foundation stone for the Pushpabanta Palace Museum during her visit to Tripura in October 2022, the government allocated Rs 40 crore for the proposed museum.

"The BJP government is attempting to obliterate the rich culture, traditions, and history of Tripura by transforming this iconic palace into a commercial center," the Congress spokesperson stated.

The Pushpabanta Palace, also referred to as Kunjaban Palace, was constructed in 1917 by the then Tripura monarch, Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Debbarma Bahadur, covering 4.13 acres of land. It functioned as the Raj Bhavan until 2018 when the Governor's residence was relocated to the Capital Complex area on the outskirts of the city.

The previous Left Front government had intended to convert Pushpabanta Palace into a digital museum.