The Tripura government’s bid to rename the Town Hall in Agartala after Hindutva ideologue Dr Syamaprasad Mookerjee has sparked a controversy in the northeastern state.
The Town Hall was built in 1985 by the former Left Front government after demolishing the Lal Mahal, which was a part of the erstwhile royal palace compound housing the Ujjayanta Palace and the Laxmi Narayan Bari Temple.
‘Apolitical’ stand of Tipra Motha legislator
A day after Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha announced the decision to rechristen the Town Hall after the founder of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Tipra Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma Monday opposed the decision and urged the CM to set up a separate building and dedicate it in the memory of Mookerjee.
Speaking at an ‘apolitical’ event congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for passing directives to identify and deport illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar, Ranjit Debbarma, whose party is a constituent of the BJP-led ruling coalition in the state, said, “Please don’t create a controversy by renaming the town hall after Dr Mookerjee.”
Citing the earlier renaming of the Victoria Memorial Hospital, the Durbar Hall and the Astabal Ground in Agartala, the Tipra Motha MLA said political regimes over the decades have turned renaming into a competition in Tripura.
“We shall not accept these. That’s why we want to request the CM to withdraw the announcement to rename Agartala Town Hall after Dr Mookerjee,” Ranjit Debbarma said.
Praise for former CM Biplab Deb
Although MLA Ranjit Debbarma criticised incumbent Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha’s move to rename the Town Hall, he expressed gratitude to former chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb for renaming the Agartala Airport after Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Debbarma, a ruler of the Manikya dynasty, and places like Baramura Hills and Gandacherra to Hatai Kotor and Ganda Twisa, respectively, during his regime.
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Ranjit Debbarma said Biplab Kumar Deb honoured the tribal history of the state through the renaming.
Ranjit Debbarma, who used to be the supremo of the now-disbanded All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), was arrested in Bangladesh and later joined mainstream politics, contesting and winning the 2023 assembly elections on a Tipra Motha ticket. He recently sparked a major controversy, stating that his party would withdraw support from the BJP-led alliance government due to the ‘non-fulfilment’ of the tripartite Tiprasa Accord. Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma later clarified that Ranjit Debbarma’s comments were “made out of frustration” and the tribal party would not withdraw support from the state government.
Opposition voices
Opposition leader and CPI(M) politburo member Jitendra Chaudhury said the bid to rename the Town Hall instead of building a new structure was tantamount to disrespecting the legacy of the city as well as that of Mookerjee.
“I am sure the people of this city would not accept it. I urge the government to reconsider this decision… I am not against dedicating a building, hospital, or school after Dr Mookerjee. You (the BJP) are in power. The central government has funds, even if the state does not. More infrastructure is needed to accommodate events, political conferences, etc,” Jitendra Chaudhury added.
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Tripura Congress president Ashish Kumar Saha also said that the government could have built a new building and named it after Mookerjee, rather than renaming the Town Hall after him.
Govt defends renaming move
Meanwhile, Tripura Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said the decision to rename the Town Hall was taken after taking all stakeholders into confidence.
Speaking to reporters at the BJP state headquarters in Agartala on Monday, the minister claimed there was no difference in opinion among the ruling allies about the renaming move, and added that MLA Ranjit Debbarma could have got confused “owing to rumours”.
“There is a rumour that the name Town Hall would be changed. As per the gazette notification and official records, the building is named Town Hall, not Agartala Town Hall. We shall only add Dr Syamaprasad Mookerjee’s name before it and rename it as Dr Syamaprasad Mookerjee Town Hall,” Sushanta Chowdhury said.
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Asked about MLA Ranjit Debbarma’s remarks, he said, “Tipra Motha is our alliance partner. After the 2023 elections, they were in the Opposition. Jitendra (Chowdhury) Babu became the Opposition leader after they (Tipra Motha) joined us. They (Tipra Motha) have realised that the central and state governments are moving towards development… They have been working as our strongest partner since their inclusion in the government.”
Taking potshots at the Opposition, Sushanta Chowdhury said, “Jiten Babu (Jitendra Chaudhury) is asking to withdraw the decision. This Town Hall was inaugurated in 1985 by acquiring royal land and demolishing the Lal Mahal. They (Communists) then didn’t honour someone from the royal family. He is opposing the current renaming by citing royal sentiments. Tribals remained backward during the Left regime… Now Jiten Babu is trying to rake up tribal sentiments… Tribals have supported the IPFT and the Motha, and both parties are with us now in the state government. They have realised that the BJP alone can do development. So, any effort to confuse the people by playing up sentiments would not work.”
Minister Sushanta Chowdhury said the BJP alone has shown respect to tribals and the erstwhile royal family by renaming Agartala Airport as Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, and announcing a holiday on the last king’s birthday, among others.
He also said that stakeholders, including cultural activists, artists, litterateurs, and the state-level cultural committee, were consulted before the renaming decision was taken. “At least, we have not renamed (Town Hall) after Lenin or Stalin or outsiders whom people of the state and the country don’t know,” he added.
Illegal immigration
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On Monday, MLA Ranjit Debbarma also said that many states, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh, have started implementing the directive of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to detect and deport illegal immigrants, but the Tripura government has not yet started doing it.
“We want this initiative to be taken in Tripura too, without any delay, or else, we shall do whatever movement is required for the implementation of the notification”, he said at an event where he also spoke about the Town Hall renaming bid.
Citing Tipra Motha’s slogan of ‘puila jati, ulo party (community first, party later)’, Ranjit Debbarma claimed the anti-illegal immigration movement has support from all sections of society, including Bengalis, tribals, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Hindus.
