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| In image (Top) Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury with Students, (bottom left) Bubagra Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma and Students, (bottom right) Bubagra with a medical student. |
Sunday 7 May saw the return of 40 Tripura Students who were stranded in Manipur after violence broke out in the state. The evacuation was solely funded by the TIPRA Motha Party with the assistance from Bubagra Pradyot Manikya Debbarma. On 6 May Saturday too, same kind evacuation programme of Tripura Students was carried out, where 182 Students (according to sources) were safely brought back to the state, the evacuation was assisted by the Tripura Government, and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury also came by the airport to welcome the students.
But a stark contrast in providing assistance to the stranded students was also very clearly seen, while Manipur is burning which many claims to be a decade old feud that was building up between communities, which blew up after the forest demarcation and Meiteis demand for ST status.
In Tripura, as even in times of crisis, community is what comes first, it was seen during the pandemic and now when students where stranded in Manipur.
It was first seen after the State Government under BJP on 6 May 2023 Saturday decided to evacuate mostly Bangali students from Manipur (total 182 students claims sources) and it was followed by the evacuation of Tipra students by TIPRA Motha which has its government in TTAADC.
The underlying hypocrisy that lies in the state, because even talking about one's own community is deemed communal, let alone dissing other communities. Unlike Manipur where the Kukis, Nagas and Meiteis belongs to same linguistic groups of tibeto-burman, in state like Tripura the contrast of communities is a bit more concerning.
The Indo-Aryan Bangalis and Sino-Tibetan Tipras, if clashes like Manipur is oath to take place, it would be more devestating in nature than that of what we have seen in Manipur. While both the communities tries to maintain peace in the state and also seen practicing it in some extent but the decades old rivalry and feud has only broadened, after 2010's since the demand for dividing the state has risen.
Even if many News Media houses, intellectuals and politicians don't prefer talking much about it publically, no one residing in the state can deny the underlying decades old mistrust between the two communities, has only widened after the demand for separate state, NRC, CAA and Bru issues.
The fear that a Manipur like violence may also take place, if issues of the state are not sort out in due time, has only culminated. The appointment of an Interlocutor for the 'Tipra Solution' is being seen as a step to normalise the relationship between the two communities, which is looked as sowing seeds for safer space in the state, but delaying in doing so, might be too much for testing the patience of the concerning groups.
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Written by Editor-in-chief of East Twipra