BJP ally, Cong oppose Tripura govt’s plan to turn iconic royal palace into hotel

Agartala, Nov 28 (IANS) The ruling BJP’s ally Tipra Motha Party (TMP), Opposition Congress and other tribal organisations have strongly opposed the state government’s reported plan to hand over the iconic Pushpabanta Palace to a private hotel group.  

The TMP’s youth wing, Youth TIPRA Federation (YTF) and the Tipra Students’ Federation (TSF), staged protests in front of the royal palace in Agartala and urged the state government not to hand over the iconic palace to a private hotel group.

The protesters accused the BJP-led government of attempting to wipe out the rich history and cultural heritage of Tripura.

The protesters argued that the move undermines the state’s heritage and identity, emphasising that historical sites like the palace should remain accessible to the public as symbols of Tripura’s legacy.

A delegation led by YTF President Suraj Debbarma submitted a memorandum to West Tripura District Magistrate and Collector Vishal Kumar.

Debbarma clarified that YTF does not oppose development initiatives or the involvement of the private hotel group but stressed the importance of preserving the palace as a cultural and historical landmark.

He urged the state government to consider alternative locations for the hotel project.

TSF General Secretary Hamalu Jamatia said, “The state government’s decision to hand over Pushpabanta Palace to a private hotel group is a blatant attempt to destroy our history and culture.”

“We are not against development but not at the cost of destroying the culture and history of our state,” Jamatia added.

DM Vishal Kumar however, stated that there was no official communication about leasing the palace to any private organisation for hospitality purposes.

Strongly opposing the government’s move, Congress spokesman Prabir Chakraborty said that during his last visit to Tripura in 1926, Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore stayed at the royal mansion and composed many songs sitting in the veranda of the palace.

He said that the then king Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur celebrated Tagore’s 80th birthday in the important palace in 1941.

After India’s Independence Maharani Kanchan Prabha Devi handed over the palace to the state government in 1949, Chakraborty said adding that after President Murmu laid the foundation stone of the Pushpabanta Palace Museum during her visit to Tripura in October 2022, the government had allocated Rs 40 crore for the proposed museum.

“The BJP government is trying to destroy the rich culture, traditions and history of Tripura by making the iconic palace into a business hub,” the Congress spokesman said.

The Pushpabanta Palace also known as Kunjaban Palace was built in 1917 by the then Tripura king Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya Debbarma Bahadur on 4.13 acres of land and it served as the Raj Bhavan until 2018 before the Governor’s house was shifted to the Capital Complex area on the outskirts of the city.

The erstwhile Left Front government planned to develop Pushpabanta Palace into a digital museum.