Tipra Motha Party chief and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma has launched a fresh campaign against what he terms as the “systematic influx” of illegal immigrants in Tripura.

In a social media post on Monday, the tribal leader directed all Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs), Members of District Councils (MDCs), and grassroots workers of his party to identify people allegedly living in Tripura without valid documents and availing government benefits illegally.

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Pradyot’s appeal came amid rising political rhetoric over illegal immigration from Bangladesh, an issue that has long shaped electoral politics in the Northeastern state, which shares a porous 856-km international border with the neighbouring country.

In his message, Pradyot claimed that both Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the Supreme Court have made it clear that illegal immigrants have no legal right to reside in India. “I have been speaking about this for over a decade now. I even filed a case in the Supreme Court seeking implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Tripura,” he added.

He warned that the growing presence of alleged Bangladeshi immigrants and even Rohingya could influence the outcome of the 2028 Assembly elections in the state. “They are not just entering Tripura but also managing to obtain Voter ID cards and Ration Cards. If this continues, they will be the ones deciding who becomes MLA, MP, or even the Chief Minister,” he added.

Pradyot stated that he has instructed his party’s MLAs, MDCs, and “warriors” to approach District Magistrates (DMs), Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs), and Block Development Officers (BDOs) to gather information on who is making and distributing Aadhaar, Ration, and Voter cards. “The day these people become voters, they will decide the fate of our children. We cannot allow that,” he warned.

Calling for unity, he added, “This is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. This is the time to unite to stop the illegal Bangladeshis. They have no right to stay here.”

Tripura has witnessed major demographic changes since the partition of India and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War when waves of Bengali refugees, both Hindu and Muslim, settled in the state. Over the decades, the indigenous tribal population has become a minority, leading to long-standing grievances about cultural erosion, land alienation, and political marginalization.

The demand for NRC in Tripura gained momentum in recent years following similar exercises in Assam, which sparked widespread debates over citizenship and documentation. The Tipra Motha Party has consistently maintained that the rights of the indigenous people must be protected through constitutional safeguards.

In 2023, the party emerged as a force in Tripura’s tribal politics by winning a significant number of seats in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), campaigning on the slogan of “Greater Tipraland”—a proposed self-governed region for the indigenous population under Article 244(A) of the Constitution.