Union Home Minister Amit Shah has started the process for a "constitutional solution" for the issues concerning indigenous Tripuris, Pradyot Deb Barma, the Chief of Tipra Motha, a regional party, which emerged as the second largest party in Tripura Assembly polls, said after a meeting with Shah, on Wednesday.
"An interlocutor for this process will be appointed and this will be within a specific time frame. I thank the Home Minister for understanding the genuine problems of the Son of the soil," Deb Barma said after the two-hour-long meeting.
Shah, BJP president J P Nadda, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and others met a delegation led by Deb Barma after the BJP-led government took oath at Agartala on Wednesday morning. All 13 MLAs of Tipra Motha, who were elected in their maiden Assembly poll battles, attended the meeting.
The meeting was held a day after Deb Barma turned down BJP's offer to join the government without a "Constitutional solution" for the 14 lakh tribals in Tripura.
Tipra Motha had contested the Assembly elections with its demand for "Greater Tipraland" for tribals as its main poll plank. The party says indigenous people, who constitute 30 per cent of Tripura's population, are faced with an identity crisis and the issues of their development have remained neglected.
On Wednesday, however, Deb Barma did not talk about his demand for "Greater Tipraland" and only insisted on a "Constitutional solution." Before the polls too, Deb Barma had rejected offers for the alliance, both from BJP and CPI (M)-Congress combine, with the same demand.
BJP had earlier said it is against the division of Tripura as demanded by Tipra Motha but the party's manifesto promised to provide more administrative, legislative and financial powers to Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, where Tipra Motha is in power.
BJP and IPFT retained power for the second consecutive term by winning 33 out of 60 seats (BJP 32, IPFT one).