Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barma

Kirit Pradyot Manikya DebBarma Bahadur is an Indian politician. He is the head of the erstwhile ruling ruling dynasty of Tripura. He was born in New Delhi, and now resides in Agartala, Tripura. He also served as the editor of TNT-The Northeast Today.[1] He is the current chairman of The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance also known as TIPRA Motha.[2][3] He is known as 'Bubagra'[4] among his people and is one of the active voices for the rights of Indigenous Tripuri people of Tripura.

Pradyot Bikram Kishore Manikya DebBarma Bahadur
Chairman of Tipra Motha Party
Assumed office
24 December 2019
Member of District Council of TTAADC
Assumed office
19 April 2021
Preceded byRamendra Debbarma
ConstituencyTakarjala-Jampuijala
Personal details
Born (1978-07-04) 4 July 1978
New Delhi, India
Political partyTipra Motha Party
Parents
Relatives
Residence(s)Ujjayanta Palace (Nuyungma), Agartala
Education
Occupation
  • Political Activist
  • Businessman
  • Journalist
  • Politician
  • Social Activist

Early life and education

Pradyot was born in New Delhi on 4 July 1978 as the first son of Kirit Bikram Kishore Debbarma[5] and Bhibu Kumari Devi. His childhood days were spent in Shillong, Meghalaya at the Tripura castle. He studied history in St. Edmund's College of Shillong.[6]

Political career

Pradyot Manikya's work, philanthropy, activism, and politics revolves around the socio-political, economic, and cultural development of the Indigenous people of Tripura.

Indian National Congress

As a youth, Pradyot Manikya was an active Indian National Congress politician. His father Kirit Bikram Debbarma was a three-time MP and his mother Bibhu Kumari Devi, a two-time Congress MLA had served as the Revenue Minister of Tripura. Although Pradyot did not contest election until the 2021 TTAADC election, he had remained active in protest, agitations and movement for the Tiprasa people of Tripura.

In the 2018 Lok Sabha election, he was an active campaigner for his sister Maharaj Kumari Pragya Debbarma who contested for the Tripura East. He had also tried to forge a regional alliance during that period which did not happen.

Exit from Indian National Congress: 2019

After the fallout with the Tripura Pradesh Congress in 2019,[7][8] Bubagra Pradyot Manikya resigned from the President post over the dispute of NRC case filing and took a break from active politics.[9] However, he started to gain voice and support for his agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2018 (now an act). He also jointly filed a case with TPF Supremo Patal Kanya Jamatia in the Supreme Court to revoke CAA in the state of Tripura and enforce NRC with the cut off year as 1951.

TipraHa Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA): 2020–Present

Pradyot formed the then NGO TipraHa Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance to assist stranded people during the COVID crisis. Through his effort, students and workers living in various cities of India were brought to their respective home to Tripura.[10]

Positions held

Public life, activism and opinions
TIPRA Motha leaders addressing the mass at the 'Mega Mass Gathering', 2022

Bubagra Pradyot is quite active in his public life and can be seen having taken part on several occasions like the TEDx Talks.[12][13] On 16 February 2020, he organized a Q&A interactive session with students at Townhall, Agartala where he talked and discussed about leadership, clarity and issues like Citizenship Amendment Act with the students present. He also suggested that a scholarship in the name of Maharaja Bir Bikram be started by the Government of Tripura rather than putting up a statue.[14]

He launched The Northeast Today, a magazine targeted at residents of India's northeastern states.[2] This enjoys a readership just shy of 1,000,000. He resigned and sold his magazine in November 2019 to concentrate on his own regional platform The Indigenous Progressive regional alliance popularly known as TIPRA.[15] He is one of India's most vocal critics of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and is a prolific guest speaker at universities, the most notable being Harvard.[16] He has been active in protesting against the CAA since the passing of the bill in 2019 at the parliament.

Greater Tipraland Movement

TIPRA is still more of a movement than a political party. Pradyot Bikram Manikya, Outlook.

Filmography

Films
† Denotes films that have not yet been released
Year Title Role Notes
2021 Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar Himself (guest appearance)

References
  1. Ch; P, an; ay (10 March 2021). "TIPRA chairman Pradyot DebBarma to contest ADC elections from Takarjala seat". EastMojo. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  2. Datta, Sekhar (30 May 2006). "Tripura scion follows in mom's footsteps - Royal foray into politics". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 23 July 2012.
  3. "A royal suitable boy looks for a suitable girl". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
  4. "Tripura: Knowing the Bubagra - INSIDE NE". Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  5. Today, Northeast (10 April 2019). "The Conundrum of the Indigenous Tripuri". Northeast Today. The state of Tripura which currently shares 856 km long border with Bangladesh, was a Princely State ruled by Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur Debbarma of the Manikya Dynasty. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  6. "A royal suitable boy looks for a suitable girl - Pradyot Deb Burman is happy to be a bachelor but life does get lonely sometimes". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 16 April 2021.
  7. "Tripura Congress chief resigns, accuses party of asking him to accommodate corrupt people". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  8. "Tripura Congress Chief Resigns From All Party Posts". NDTV.com. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  9. News Service, Express (24 September 2019). "Tripura Congress chief Pradyot Kishore Deb Barman resigns over NRC dispute". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
  10. Ambrocia, Medolenuo (19 May 2020). "Lockdown 4: 19 students stranded in Nagaland leave for Tripura". EastMojo. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
  11. "Royal Tripura Foundation". Archived from the original on 15 August 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  12. "TEDxUTMShillong | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  13. Ch; P, an; ay (4 July 2020). "How Tripura royal scion Pradyot is celebrating birthday by raising funds for the needy". EastMojo. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  14. "Start scholarship in Maharaja's name instead of his statue: Pradyot Manikya". Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  15. "An interview with Maharaja Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma". Subcontinental wind (in Italian). 25 June 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  16. "India's North East on focus at Harvard". Theshillongtimes.com. Retrieved 29 June 2017.
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