Tipra Motha chief opposes Tripura tourism minister's claim over Pushpabant Palace

Agartala, Nov 30 (PTI) Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya on Saturday opposed Tripura tourism minister Sushanta Chowdhury's claim regarding the state government's "sole authority" over the iconic Pushpabant Palace, commonly known as Kunjaban Palace.

"Perhaps this will refresh the memory of many regarding Kunjaban! The state was given the palace for a specific purpose by Rajmata Kanchanprabha Devi. They should have consulted and considered the sentiments before turning it into a commercial venture, which was originally given for a public purpose," Debbarma wrote on Facebook, sharing a copy of the agreement signed in September 1949.

The royal scion's post came a day after Chowdhury claimed that Kunjaban Palace is a government property as per the merger agreement.

"I don’t want to hurt anyone's sentiments. The palace, which was the property of the royal family, became an asset of the government after the signing of the merger agreement. There is no mention in the agreement that the government cannot implement any project at the palace," Chowdhury told reporters on Friday.

He added, "This is government property, and the government can make decisions regarding it. No final decision has been made yet (on converting the palace into a five-star hotel). There are properties of the kings that are being used as marriage halls for business purposes." Manancha Niwas, located near Pushpabant Palace, and a portion of Ujjayanta Palace have already been converted into marriage halls.

At a press conference, TMP's youth organisation, the Youth Tipra Federation (YTF) president Suraj Debbarma appealed to all indigenous people to join a protest march on December 5 to save Pushpabant Palace. PTI PS MNB