TIPRA Motha seeks for a separate tribal state: Manikya Deb Barma

TIPRA Motha (Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance), the largest tribal-based party of Tripura and which captured the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) a year back, shall submit a single common memorandum demanding for a separate tribal state Greater Tipraland to all Sub-divisional Magistrates (SDMs) across the state on coming 23rd August’ declared Pradyot Kishore Manik Deb Barma, the supremo of TIPRA Motha party.

Deb Barma, the present head of the royal Manikya family of Tripura said, “All organizations affiliated with the TIPRA Motha be it youths, students, women or employees on the ADC day that is August 23 shall submit a single memorandum on demand for Greater Tipraland to all SDMs and this memorandum through the governor shall reach to the President of India. We want a constitutional solution and we shall peacefully submit the memorandum across the state.”

He appealed to all those who support his demand, to gather before their respective SDM offices and peacefully submit the memorandum for Greater Tipraland.

Pradyot said, “It is high time that the party focuses on its prime demand of Greater Tipraland which is a constitutional demand for all the people living inside the autonomous district council areas and not against any community rater it is for development and for political and equality rights for the tribal section of people which did not happen in the last seventy years and the government of India is responsible for this.”

The TIPRA Motha chief added that again in September a delegation of senior leaders and elected representatives of the TTAADC including the CEM and EMs shall meet with the Governor of Tripura and submit the same memorandum.

When asked about ruling BJP ally IPFT also going to agitate on the same demand on the same date at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, Pradyot said that after coming to power in Tripura and IPFT getting the tribal vote on the Tipraland demand but during the last four and half years they never raised the issue for a single time in the assembly for discussion and now with the election coming close they are again raising the demand but the indigenous people of the state no more believe them and it has been proven from the results of the previous TTAADC poll in which IPFT failed to secure a single seat.

Tripura is getting ready for two vital elections - village council followed by assembly poll in the next six months time period, and in which tribal section of people consisting of 31 percent of some 40 lakh population of the state is going to play a vital role in the formation of the government as 20 of the total 60 assembly constituencies of the state are reserved tribal seats.