Agartala, March 14 (NationPress) Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, the leader of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), accused on Saturday that there is a scheme to fracture the tribal-focused party, which currently collaborates with the ruling BJP in Tripura.

Speaking at a mass assembly at the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) headquarters in Khumulwng, Debbarma commented on Chief Minister Manik Saha's recent public address at Dhumachara in Dhalai district, where he declared that the BJP intends to contest all 28 seats in the forthcoming TTAADC elections.

“By stating that the BJP will run in all 28 constituencies, the Chief Minister has effectively severed the alliance between our parties. We are not the ones dissolving the partnership; it is the Chief Minister who has caused the division,” the TMP leader asserted.

He remarked that if the BJP fields candidates for all 28 seats, the “Tiprasa people” (tribals) will ensure the BJP's defeat in the upcoming elections.

“Our goal is to foster unity among all tribal groups. Within the tribal community, there are individuals of both Christian and Hindu faiths, yet we are not engaging in politics based on religious lines. Tribals are significantly disadvantaged, and our party is advocating for their economic, constitutional, and land rights,” said Debbarma, who hails from a royal lineage.

His comments arise amidst media speculation that certain TMP lawmakers, including a minister, may defect to the BJP before the TTAADC elections.

Chief Minister Manik Saha dismissed these rumors on Thursday, asserting that TMP leader and Forest Minister Animesh Debbarma and several other party MLAs are not intending to join the BJP.

Since 2021, the Tipra Motha Party has led the crucial 30-member council, which includes 28 elected members and two appointed by the state government.

In the 2021 TTAADC elections, the BJP competed for 11 seats and secured nine, while an independent candidate backed by the BJP also won.

The TMP obtained 18 seats, gaining control of the council from the CPI(M)-led Left Front.

The council encompasses nearly two-thirds of Tripura's area of 10,491 sq km and houses over 12.16 lakh residents, with approximately 84 percent belonging to indigenous communities.

As the TTAADC elections approach, significant political parties, including the BJP, its ally Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), and the Tipra Motha Party, along with opposition groups like the Communist Party of India-Marxist and the Indian National Congress, have ramped up efforts to consolidate support among tribal voters.

The elections for the TTAADC are anticipated to take place in April.

Tribal communities make up nearly one-third of Tripura's total population of about 4.2 million, rendering the upcoming council elections a vital political event in the state.

The TMP, led by Debbarma, has been a junior partner in the ruling BJP-led government since March 2024.

After extensive negotiations, the TMP, then in opposition, entered into a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government on March 2, 2024, in the presence of Union Home Minister Shah.

Following this, the party, which holds 13 MLAs, joined the BJP-led coalition government on March 7, 2024, introducing a new facet to the state's political landscape.

Two TMP MLAs, Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma, were included in the ministerial team led by Chief Minister Manik Saha.