Tripura CM takes veiled swipe, urges tribals to back leaders who deliver

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, November 5, 2025

Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha on Tuesday appeared to take a veiled dig at Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, urging the state’s 19 tribal communities to trust leaders who deliver results instead of those who merely impress with their oratory.

Addressing a programme at Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan in Agartala, where yarn was distributed free of cost to tribal women weavers, Dr Saha said, “I often see some people addressing the public on social media. Their public speaking skills are excellent and can easily influence people, but when it comes to delivery through constructive action, they are a big zero.”

Political observers said the remarks were clearly aimed at Debbarman, whose Tipra Motha Party (TMP) is part of the BJP-led ruling alliance but has increasingly been at loggerheads with the government over issues concerning the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), governed by TMP since 2021.

“It is the duty of people to differentiate between performers and non-performers. For long, the tribal population was treated merely as a vote bank. Our government is committed to ending that exploitation and ensuring real development in tribal areas,” the Chief Minister said.

Dr Saha also highlighted that 40 per cent of the government’s effective budgetary expenditure — around Rs 17,000 crore — is directed towards tribal-dominated areas. He said most externally aided projects such as TRESP and ELEMENT, worth Rs 1,400 crore and Rs 1,700 crore respectively, are being implemented in those regions.

He further announced that the government had ordered a survey to identify sub-tribe chieftains for extending a monthly financial assistance of Rs 5,000 each. Asked about Tipra Motha’s reported move to join a larger North East-based political front, Dr Saha declined to comment.

more news...