Agartala (Tripura) [India], December 4 (HBTV): Hundreds of protestors from the Women’s Tipra Federation and the Youth Tipra Federation, two key wings of the Tipra Motha Party, staged a demonstration near the circuit house in Kunjaban, urging the government to reconsider its decision to convert the royal Pushpabanta Palace into a hotel.

The demonstrators shouted slogans condemning what they called an attempt to 'erase the state’s royal history.'

Geeta Debbarma, leader of the Women’s Tipra Federation, told the media that the palace, once a private property of Tripura’s royal family, was handed over to the state government by Maharani Kanchan Prabha Devi under an agreement ensuring its use for public welfare. Initially serving as the Raj Bhavan, the governor’s residence, the palace is now being proposed for conversion into a hotel, which Debbarma said disregards the sentiments of the indigenous people.

She further alleged that renaming landmarks associated with the royal family is part of an ongoing effort to erase their contributions to the state’s history.

‘The stable ground of the kings was renamed Swami Vivekananda Maidan by the previous government. While we deeply respect Swami Vivekananda, was it necessary to change the nomenclature of a place that reflects the state’s history? Now, this government is taking similar steps,’ Debbarma said.