AGARTALA, Jan 21 - Tripura Governor Tathagata Roy on Thursday praised Tripura�s last King Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya for taking a bold decision of merging the trouble-torn State into Indian territory.
�Had Maharaja Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya not taken the decision of merging Tripura into Indian territory, the State would have gone to Pakistan�s hand�, he said while speaking at a programme to mark the State�s 45th Statehood Day at Rabindra Bhavan here.
The Governor said a number of States were under royal families during the pre-independence period.
According to historians, there was a move by a section of people of the royal family that Tripura be allowed to merge with Pakistan but it was strongly resisted by Maharaja Kirit Bikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur.
�In Tripura, peace prevails after a lot of bloodshed due to insurgency. The way the insurgency has been contained here is really commendable�, he said.
The Governor went on, �Even the Centre wants to know how the insurgency has been virtually wiped out from Tripura. This hard earned peace and tranquility must be preserved�.
In his speech, the Governor also mentioned the achievements made by the State since 1972. Highlighting the State�s success in different fields, PWD Minister Badal Chowdhury said although the insurgency has been contained largely, there are attempts to break the unity among tribals and non-tribals. �Those who had engineered riots in 1980 have raised slogans of division for a separate State. People must remain vigilant to foil such attempts�, he said.
Recalling the contribution of Marxist veterans like Dasarath Deb, Biren Dutta and Sudhanya Debbarma in ending the princely rule, Chowdhury said it was Jana Shiksha Samity, which had first raised the demand for an elected government way back in 1945.
�In spite of all odds, the State has achieved significant success in various fields. It is a fact the State had to suffer a lot due to insurgency spanning over almost 30 years. It is good the State is now marching ahead�, he said.
Tribal Welfare Minister Aghore Debbarma, Chief Executive Member (CEM) Radhacharan Debbarma, opposition leader Sudip Roy Barman and Chief Secretary Yaspal Singh were present in the programme.
