CPI(M) slams State government over plans to turn royal palace into private heritage resort

CPI(M) opposes Tripura government's plan to convert Pushpabanta Palace into a private hotel, calls for preservation of heritage.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has joined the opposition against the Tripura government’s plan to lease out the old Raj Bhavan building located at the Pushpabanta Palace to a private hotel group with plans to turn it into a heritage resort. The left party has also criticised Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, founder of TIPRA Motha and a member of the royal family, for his conflicting stance on the issue.

The property, which has been the residence of Lieutenant Governors and Governors since 1949, has been a centre of controversy since the State government announced its plans.

While the government has not provided much information, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury have both stated that the conversion of the palace into a heritage hotel is being considered, but nothing has been finalised. The Chief Minister has assured that the palace, built in 2017 by Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya, will retain its heritage character.

The palace, which hosted many historical figures including Nobel laureate Rabindra Tagore, has been vacant since Raj Bhavan was relocated to a new location in the New Capital Complex here. There has also been no progress in establishing a Museum and Library in memory of Maharaja Birendra Kishore Manikya at the site.

The issue of converting the Pushpabanta Palace into a hotel has become a sensitive topic for indigenous groups after Pradyot Kishore Debbarman made an emotional statement on November 26. Independent Twipra Student Federation (TSF), the youth and women’s wing of TIPRA Motha, have been protesting against the government’s reported plans.

However, Pradyot Kishore Debbarman has not made any new statements on the issue and two of his party Ministers in the State government, Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma, have remained silent.

After Congress, the CPI(M) has opposed the government’s plan to make the Pushpabanta Palace, which was donated to the state government by the royal family in 1949, a private hotel. CPI(M) State secretary Jitendra Chowdhury and party leader and former Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly Pabitra Kar have denounced the government’s decision and called for the preservation of the palace’s legacy.