New Delhi: Tensions within the ruling alliance in Tripura escalated after a lawmaker from TIPRA Motha, a coalition partner of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), filed a police complaint against the son of Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma.
The legislator, Philip Reang, alleged that Pratik Dev Varma, a BJP member as well, threatened him inside the residential quarters designated for members of the Legislative Assembly late Monday evening. Following the complaint, the Tripura Police registered an FIR.
A seven-member delegation of TIPRA Motha, founded and led by the titular head of Tripura’s erstwhile royal family, Pradyot Debbarman, also met Chief Minister Manik Saha over the issue on Tuesday.
In a statement, the CM’s office said that Saha assured the delegation that the matter would be thoroughly investigated. “The delegation briefed the Chief Minister about yesterday’s incident at the MLA Hostel and requested a review of the security arrangements. The CM assured them that the police will investigate the matter thoroughly and that all necessary measures will be taken to ensure security,” it added.
When contacted, Pradyot said the incident was “unfortunate”.
Pratik had previously courted controversy in 2022 when members of a Parliamentary committee accused him of misbehaviour at a private hotel in Agartala.
The latest flashpoint comes at a time when TIPRA Motha, which has two MLAs in the Council of Ministers, has threatened to exit the ruling alliance if a tripartite agreement signed in 2024 between the party, the state government, and the Centre to address tribal grievances is not implemented.
The Motha holds 13 seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly, while the BJP has 32—barely above the halfway mark.
Last month, Debbarman met Union Home Minister Amit Shah over the issue. A series of provocative statements made by a pressure group, Amra Bangali, which claims to represent the rights of the majority Bengali community, has also upset the Motha, which has demanded action against the group.
Speaking to ThePrint, Philip, who belongs to the Bru community and represents the Kanchanpur Assembly constituency in North Tripura, alleged that Pratik had come to meet BJP MLA Pramod Reang when the incident occurred. He claimed that Pratik was in an intoxicated state at the time.
In his police complaint, Philip stated that Pratik, along with two unidentified individuals, approached the door of his residential unit and “used violent, abusive language”.
“They clearly threatened to kill me and said they would bring more than 400 to 500 BJP workers to kill me and my family members,” he alleged.
It is learnt that Pratik, who declined to comment on the issue when contacted by ThePrint, has obtained bail. Sources close to Pratik, a former state general secretary of the BJP’s Janjati Morcha, claimed that while there was a heated exchange between the two, “it is unfortunate that an altercation between two individuals has been turned into a political issue.”
“Pratik was walking past Philip’s house when the latter asked him to leave, saying he was having a private discussion with his family. Pratik said he had no intention of infringing on their privacy. There was a sharp exchange of words between the two. The Motha MLA did not seek any police intervention despite the presence of security personnel there, but surprisingly escalated the matter the next morning,” a person close to the Governor’s son told ThePrint.
Jishnu Dev Varma, who is also a member of the erstwhile royal family of Tripura, served as the deputy chief minister from 2018 to 2023, when he lost the assembly election.
Meanwhile, Director General of Police Anurag Dhyankar also reviewed the security arrangements at the MLA Hostel on Tuesday.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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