Ruling ally, Oppn slam Tripura govt over royal family exclusion during PM's temple visit

Agartala, Sept 23: In a rare show of solidarity in the Tripura Assembly, a ruling BJP ally and the Opposition jointly criticised the state government over the absence of royal family representatives and opposition legislators during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to the Tripura Sundari Temple in Udaipur.

Tuesday’s House session turned into a war of words after Tipra Motha Party (TMP), a ruling ally, and Opposition leaders, including the Congress, accused the government of "overlooking" the royal family during the event.

The exchange escalated when Tipra Motha MLA Biswajit Kalai demanded a clarification on the floor.

Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury responded, saying that the state government had no role in finalising the guest list.

“Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha had given clear instructions to ensure the presence of the royal family. Initially, names of all three MPs and other dignitaries were included. However, the Prime Minister’s Office later issued a revised list, retaining only East Tripura MP Kriti Devi Debbarman, a royal family member, and Minister Animesh Debbarma,” he said.

Chowdhury stressed there was “no question of negligence” on the government’s part.

MLA Ranjit Debbarma added to the debate, stating he had spoken to royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, also the founder of TMP, on September 22, who confirmed he was out of state and had not received an invitation.

“Even the Rajmata, mother of the royal scion, was also not invited,” he said.

Congress MLA Birajit Sinha raised another objection, accusing the government of political bias.

“Is the temple meant only for the ruling party?” he asked. Supporting this view, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman also criticised the exclusion of opposition legislators.

Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath explained that the PM’s visit was strictly a prayer and inauguration ceremony without a public meeting, which limited the guest list to a protocol-based selection finalised by the PMO.

Concluding the debate, Chief Minister Manik Saha defended his government, saying, “The Prime Minister came only to offer prayers at the Tripura Sundari Temple. Had there been a public meeting, everyone would certainly have been invited.”

Outside the Assembly, Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma struck a conciliatory note, saying, “Our minister was present at the event. It is a matter of pride for us that the temple established during the royal era had been recognised by the Government of India and the PM has acknowledged that.”

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury, who was away in China, accused the BJP of arrogance. “The BJP doesn’t believe in political courtesy. They want to run the government as a private limited company,” he said.

From the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), another ruling ally, Minister Shukla Charan Noatia attended the event, while the absence of other stakeholders continued to fuel debate.