IPFT, among other regional tribal parties, resume anti-CAA protest in Tripura

After withdrawing from anti-CAA protests for more than a month, several regional and tribal political parties from Tripura have decided to resume the agitation against the contentious law, with the IPFT - an ally of the ruling BJP in the state - observing a sit-in-demonstration on Monday.

Agartala (Tripura): The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), which has eight MLAs and two ministers in the BJP-led government in Tripura, on Monday resumed its protest against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) being advocated by its ally after almost a month.

The tribal party observed a sit-in-demonstration at Khumulwng, the headquarters of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

Other tribal parties, including the Joint Movement Against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (JMACAB), a conglomeration of many tribal parties, led by the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), who had called off their agitation against the CAA on December 11 after a meeting with Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, would be resuming their protests by holding a rally on Tuesday in Agartala.

"Thousands of tribals from across Tripura took part in the indefinite sit-in-protest in Khumulwng on Monday. Our top leaders including party President Narendra Chandra Debbarma and General Secretary Mevar Kumar Jamatia lead the sit-in-demonstration," IPFT Assistant General Secretary and party spokesman Mangal Debbarma told reporters over the phone.

Besides keeping Tripura out of the purview of the CAA, the IPFT has been demanding the creation of a separate state for the tribals and inclusion of the tribal language "Kokborok" into the eighth schedule of the Constitution.

A delegation of the IPFT leaders led by party General Secretary Mevar Kumar Jamatia met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on December 12 to put forth their demands.

"Though the Union Home Minister had assured us to meet our demands, we are yet to get any positive response from the Central government," Debbarma told media.

He added, "Amit Shah had told us that after Christmas (on December 25) he would look into our issues or would hold another round of meeting with us."

The JMACAB and various other tribal parties, including the tribal front of the CPI-M - the Tripura Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad (TRUGP) - which is the state's oldest tribal party, have been demanding that the Northeastern states be kept out the ambit of CAA.