Scion opposes Tripura govt move to convert palace into museum

The state government's decision to develop the century-old 'Puspavant Palace' into a museum has come under fire from Manikya Bahadur, Tripura's royal scion and the grandson of last king Bir Bikram Kishore, who termed it as a move to "hijack indigenous heritage".

The Tripura government has recently issued a notification to announce that the 'Puspavant Palace', which served as the official residence of 16 state governors since 1972, is set to be transformed into a museum and research centre dedicated to Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Governor Tathagata Roy has shifted to a new Raj Bhavan building, which he inaugurated on April 18 at the capital complex here.

"I am against the renaming of any old monuments or palaces. It is sad to hear that the government of Tripura will be renaming the Puspavant Palace (governor's house) to Rabindranath Tagore museum," Bahadur said.

Samarjit Bhowmik, the secretary of Rajbhavan, however, clarified there was no question of changing the name of the palace, but it would be converted into a museum for Tagore.

When pointed out that the state does not intend to rename the palace, Bahadur said, "They are trying to hijack everything culturally. Eventually, they would rename the palace. I want to know why the historical place would be made into a museum. Let it remain as it is."
"How is this government different from the Left Front government, which tried to do something similar with Ujayanta Palace. If the government wants to build a museum for Rabindranath Tagore, I am willing to donate land for it, but remodelling the Puspavant Palace is not a good idea."