Tipra Motha agreement: Pradyot advocates inclusion of experts in newly formed committee addressing indigenous issues

Following the signing of an agreement to address the issues affecting the indigenous people of Tripura, former chairman of Tipra Motha, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, has stated that the newly formed committee should consist of competent academicians, bureaucrats, and individuals with a profound understanding of history. 

He said that the aim is to articulate the genuine problems faced by the indigenous population without infringing upon the rights of other communities.

On Saturday, Tipra Motha, Government of India, Government of Tripura agreed to amicably resolve all issues of the indigenous people of Tripura relating to history, land rights, political rights, economic development, identity, culture, language, etc.

“It was agreed to constitute a Joint Working Group/ Committee to work out and implement the mutually agreed points on all the above mentioned issues in a time-bound manner to ensure an honourable solution. In order to maintain a conducive atmosphere for implementation of this Agreement, all stakeholders shall refrain from resorting to any form of agitation/ protest during this period, starting from the day of signing”, the agreement paper reads.

Speaking exclusively on the issue, Pradyot told India Today NE that this is a step in the right direction.

“Now what I need is to ensure that in this committee, we have competent people. They may not necessarily only be politicians but individuals with a sense of understanding of land law, historical and cultural context, education, and academics. They should be part of this committee so that we can start solving the problem and end this 75 years of suffering in the shortest possible time frame,” he said.

Pradyot mentioned that there are good and bad people in every party, and he acknowledged that there are bad people in his party too.

“That is why there has been some tension. There are bad people in other parties as well, and good people are there too. Those with negative intentions will always try to create a negative impact. But I do know that almost every tribal leader, whether from BJP, Congress, or CPIM, wanted this to happen. I have not eaten since February 28. Today at 11 AM, I will break my fast in front of my people,” Pradyot, who is also the Royal Scion of Tripura, told this publication.

Appealing to his party workers not to celebrate too much, as they have to realize that the real hard work starts here, Pradyot said, “My agenda is to implement the accord and work very hard with this, along with the support team which may not be filled by politicians but by competent academics, bureaucrats, and individuals with a sense of history to articulate the genuine problem of the indigenous without taking away anything from other communities.”

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