Agartala: Tensions have resurfaced between the BJP and Tipra Motha in Tripura after the BJP office at Khumulwng, the headquarters of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), was attacked on Saturday.
Following the incident, 12 two-wheelers and two cars were reportedly vandalised. No injuries to BJP workers had been reported at the time, although sources said tension remained high in the area after the attack.
A large contingent of police and Tripura State Rifles personnel was deployed around Khumulwng to prevent further violence and maintain law and order. BJP leaders held the Tipra Motha Party responsible for the attack.
The incident comes amid growing differences between the two parties, which are partners in the Tripura coalition government. Relations have remained strained since the TTAADC elections earlier this year, when Tipra Motha defeated the BJP in a setback for the ruling party.
The latest developments come ahead of the Village Committee elections in the TTAADC areas, scheduled to be held in about a month. Attempts by the BJP and Tipra Motha to reach an agreement on a pre-poll alliance have reportedly failed despite several rounds of discussions and intervention by the BJP’s central leadership.
The BJP has remained open to an electoral understanding with Tipra Motha, while the tribal party has made implementation of the Tiprasa Accord, signed in 2024, a key condition for any pre-poll arrangement.
Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarman said during a social media livestream that implementation of the Tiprasa Accord would be the principal condition for his party to join hands with the BJP in the upcoming elections.
Responding to Debbarman’s position, senior state BJP leaders, including Chief Minister Manik Saha, have maintained that the possibility of an alliance with Tipra Motha cannot be ruled out at this stage.
The attack at Khumulwng has added to the political uncertainty between the two allies at a time when both parties are preparing for the upcoming Village Committee polls.