New Delhi: Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) Motha chief Pradyut Deb Barman on Monday said that his party will extend support in the forthcoming Tripura Assembly elections if any party gives written assurance of forming a separate Tipra land State. After resigning from Congress in 2019, Deb Barman formed TIPRA Motha with the aim of creating a separate Tipra land.
"We demand constitutional protection of the indigenous people, along with other communities, who suffered in Tripura for the last 70 years," Deb Barman told ETV Bharat. TIPRA Motha, won the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC) election in April last year by dethroning the BJP- Indigenous People Front of Tripura (IPFT) from power.
NE may be far from Delhi but we are Indians In the TTADC election, TIPRA Motha won 18 seats, BJP secured nine seats and one seat went to an independent. In the 30-member TTADC, two are nominated by the members. In the 60-member Assembly, the TTADC in the State has 20 reserved Seats for ST. "All the major national parties said, "There is no need for Tipra land. But, we say there is a need for Tipra land. Going with our demand, we have won the TTADC election and BJP-CPM-Congress all lost," said Deb Barman.
BJP formed the government in Tripura after dethroning the Left Front in 2018. Barman said that his party will contest 45 seats in Tripura in 2023. "I hope in the coming election we will play a vital role. People need to reimpose faith in the parties, which are regional, as national political parties proved not helpful," said Deb Barman.
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Barman said that the Northeast may be far from New Delhi, "but we are Indians and our voice needs to be heard." Justifying their demand for a separate Tipra land, Deb Barman said that all those who are demanding a separate State have the right to raise their voice. "If necessary Constitution needs to be amended. There is a demand for a separate Bundelkhand State, a separate Gorkhaland. Earlier also States were created. Earlier, Meghalaya was also carved out from Assam and became a separate State," said Deb Barman.
Deb Barman said that their demand for a separate State is totally different from the demands made by many proscribed organisations. "We are putting our legitimate demand for a separate Tipra land in a democratic way. There are no similarities between our demands with that of several organisations like Ulfa and others," said Deb Barman. Deb Barman on Monday staged a protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar in support of their demand for a Tipra land.
