New Delhi: The ruling BJP in Tripura has been put on the back foot, with its ally Tipra Motha raising the pitch for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR)—similar to the one conducted in Bihar—in a state that houses a large population of Bengali Hindus with roots in present-day Bangladesh and shares an 856-km border with it.
A delegation of Tipra Motha leaders, including founder Pradyot Debbarman, met officials from the Election Commission of India last week, demanding an SIR exercise in Tripura.
“We earnestly urge the Election Commission of India to initiate a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll in Tripura, accompanied by a comprehensive door-to-door verification exercise, similar to the model recently adopted in the State of Bihar. Tripura shares an 856-kilometre-long international border with Bangladesh, much of which remains porous and inadequately fenced, posing serious challenges in monitoring and preventing illegal immigration,” stated Motha’s written submission to the CEC.
It added: “The unchecked influx of undocumented immigrants has not only disrupted the socio-economic balance of the region but has also led to the dilution of electoral rolls, threatening the democratic rights of the indigenous tribal communities and undermining electoral fairness.”
Tripura BJP president Rajib Bhattacharjee said the party has not yet formulated its position on the demand for an SIR in the state. “We have not made a decision yet. We will soon have a meeting of the state BJP unit to devise our position on the issue,” said Bhattacharjee, who is also the Northeastern state’s Rajya Sabha MP.
He added that the state government is carrying out drives in accordance with directions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to identify and deport “illegal migrants”.
At the national level the BJP is defending the SIR—an agenda aligned with its broader narrative of expelling Rohingyas and Bangladeshis who have entered India illegally. However, in Tripura, where Bengali Hindus with roots in erstwhile East Pakistan account for nearly 70 percent of the population, the party has to strike a more nuanced tone.
Even in Assam, where the BJP is also in power, the state government is walking a tightrope, demanding that ECI consider the National Register of Citizens (NRC), which has already been carried out in the state, as an admissible document under the SIR.
But it is in Tripura, which saw waves of Bengali Hindu families fleeing religious persecution in erstwhile East Pakistan during partition and the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh, where the BJP is struggling to craft a response to the demand of its own ally for an SIR.
The BJP draws its support primarily from Bengali Hindus of the state, whereas the politics of Tipra Motha is founded entirely on the demographic changes and anxieties triggered by waves of migration, which have reduced Tripura’s indigenous population to an ethnic minority. The Motha has 13 legislators in the state’s 60-member Assembly, while the BJP has 32—barely above the halfway mark.
When contacted, Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Debbarman told ThePrint, “Why is the BJP silent on our demand for an SIR in Tripura? They already have the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) to protect the rights of Bengali Hindus, with 31 December 2014 as the cut-off date. They should just notify the CAA rules.”
The flashpoint on SIR has come at a time when ties between BJP and the Motha have already come under strain in recent months over Debbarman’s suggestion that his party will not hesitate to pull out of the ruling alliance if the Centre does not implement the tripartite agreement signed last year to address tribal grievances in the state.
The Centre, Tripura government and Tipra Motha were parties to the agreement, which has made no headway in terms of implementation since its signing, in the presence of Home Minister Amit Shah, on 2 March 2024.
“We are part of the government for the accord, but if it is not materialised, we will have to think about how long this arrangement can continue,” he said.
Even on Sunday, the BJP alleged that Motha supporters attacked its workers who had gathered to listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat at a village.
Bhattacharjee said one person has been arrested in connection with the attack, which left nine BJP workers injured. “Whoever was involved in the attack will not be spared. We will also see who stands with the perpetrators of the violence. That will be revealing in itself,” Bhattacharjee said. Debbarman, however, claimed that the clash was essentially between a group of people who were formerly with the CPI(M) and switched over to the BJP later and current Left supporters.
Debbarman claimed that the ECI, including Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, who was present in the meeting, assured the Tipra Motha delegation that an SIR will be carried out across the country, including in Tripura. He said the Tripura government should form a panel like the one constituted in Meghalaya to ensure that “illegal migrants” being evicted from Assam under the ongoing drives do not cross over and take shelter.
“We cannot allow illegal immigration anymore in Tripura or the Northeast. We don’t need permission from anyone to do so. This is about the rights of our people. If needed, we will approach the Supreme Court. The mistakes allowed to happen in the 50s, 60s, 90s cannot be repeated in 2025. We will form a committee in autonomous council areas we govern to detect and send back illegal immigrants,” Debbarman said.
(Edited by Malavalli Kishan Shashank)
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