Political parties should together discuss problems of Tripura's indigenous people: Tipra Motha chief

Tipra Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma has said political parties should sit together and discuss their demands to move towards a “constitutional solution” to the problems of indigenous people in Tripura.

Debbarma said his party would raise the demand for direct funding to Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), its own police force and rights over land, among other issues.

“If the Centre, Tipra Motha, BJP, CPI(M), Congress and IPFT agree on direct funding, let it begin. If all the parties agree on rights over land or the police force, those can be implemented, too. The solution will come out only after the parties sit together and discuss the demands,” Debbarma said in a video posted on social media.

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Debbarma, a descendant of the former ruling family of Tripura, has long been pressing for a “constitutional solution” to demands by his party for a separate state of Tiprasa. The Tipra Motha recently won 13 seats in elections to the 60-member Tripura assembly.

He asserted that no one can send him to jail for seeking a ‘Greater Tipraland’, as the Constitution “allows anyone to put forth such a demand”.

Debbarma also claimed Union Home Minister Amit Shah has told him that there will be an interlocutor to initiate dialogue with the Tipra Motha over its demands.

“If the Tipra Motha doesn’t get an official notification on the dialogue over a constitutional solution, its position will be same as it is today. We can’t commit the same mistake of the IPFT when it joined the BJP-led cabinet after the 2018 assembly elections. Ignoring 30 per cent (14 lakh Tiprasa people) will not match with the vision of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’,” he said.

Debbarma also rejected the possibility of a split within the party, affirming that the 13 party MLAs will not quit the Tipra Motha, as people gave them the mandate to work for the indigenous people of the state.

While the BJP has made it clear that it is unwilling to concede a division of the tiny state of Tripura, its leadership has spoken of a willingness to give more legislative, financial and executive powers to the TTAADC.