Tribal body opposes renaming Agartala airport after Rabindranath Tagore

A tribal body today opposed a resolution adopted in the Tripura Assembly on renaming of Agartala airport after Rabindranath Tagore and demanded that it be renamed after the last tribal king of the state.

"We want the airport to be renamed after Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya, who built the airport, and also designed it during World War II," Tripura Tribal Professional Students Association (TTPSA) Convenor Sunil Kalai told a press conference here.

Kalai said the King of Tripura had acknowledged the greatness of Tagore even before the entire world came to know about him and helped him in many ways.

The Tripura legislators were also disrespecting the royal family for whom Tagore also had highest regard, he said.

The recent resolution in the assembly had hurt the sentiments of the indigenous people of the state and several tribal social bodies had opposed it, he said.

Kalai said, many tribal bodies have taken up the issue of renaming the airport with the governor.

Opposition Congress legislator Sudip Roy Burman had proposed renaming of the airport after Tagore, which was supported by Chief Minister Manik Sarkar.

The lone legislator from the opposition Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) in the 60-member House, Bijoy Hrankhawl had, however, opposed had the proposal.