Tipra Matha held “fruitful” meeting with Himanta

way2barak, March 30 : The leaders of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) held a “fruitful” meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati.

Returning to Agartala on Thursday evening, senior TMP leader and opposition leader in the Tripura Assembly, Animesh Debbarma said that their meeting with Sarma after midnight on Wednesday was “very fruitful” and the Assam Chief Minister would explain every aspect of the meeting at an appropriate time.

“Sarma explained to us about the Central government’s roadmap for the all round development of the tribals in Tripura. We are very satisfied about the ambitious plan of the government of India for the welfare of the tribals and their future generations,” Debbarma told the media.

Earlier TMP Chairman Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman told that he and his party colleagues have put up every aspect of their demands and heard Sarma’s explanation about the GoI’s plan.

Deb Barman late on Thursday evening tweeted : “Thank you Himanta Biswa for your assurance and statement today . We are keen to resolve the indigenous peoples issues and we are glad the process has been initiated in a time bound manner.

I also thank the home minister Amit Shah who has taken the time and effort to address the problems of our tiprasa people. The tiprasa are united (thansa) for a better future and I am willing to sacrifice everything for our people.”

A 6-member delegation of the TMP led by Deb Barman went to Guwahati on Wednesday and held a marathon meeting with Sarma at the latter’s residence.

According to Deb Barman, the Central government was supposed to appoint an interlocutor by March 27 to study the “constitutional solutions” to the TMP’s demands for more autonomy and socio-economic development of the tribals.

The other members of the delegation include TMP president Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl, Animesh Debbarma, Brishaketu Debbarma, Biswajit Kalai, all MLAs and former minister Mewar Kumar Jamatia.

Deb Barman on Monday announced that he will go on an indefinite hunger strike unless the Centre appoints the interlocutor by March 27.

He earlier said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on March 23 informed him that the Centre would appoint an interlocutor by March 27 to study the “constitutional solutions” to the TMP’s demands for more autonomy and socio-economic development of the tribals, who constitute one-third of Tripura’s 4 million population.

Scripting history in the February 16 Assembly polls the TMP, the first tribal based party in Tripura since 1952, emerged as the principal opposition party in the northeastern state by winning 13 seats in the 60-member Tripura assembly.

The ruling BJP has been trying to lure the TMP to join the state ministry headed by Chief Minister Manik Saha and has kept three ministerial berths vacant for the tribal party.

However, Deb Barman said that they would not join the BJP led ministry unless their demand was met.

The TMP, after capturing the politically important Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) in April 2021, has been demanding elevation of the areas of the autonomous body by granting a ‘Greater Tipraland State’ or a separate state status under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.

Sarma, who is one of the BJP’s main strategists in the northeastern region, had recently said in Agartala that talks between the BJP and the TMP may resume but it should be under the constitutional framework, and not on the condition of dividing Tripura.

On March 8, the day the BJP led coalition assumed office for the second consecutive time in Tripura, Amit Shah held a two-hour meeting with TMP leaders and discussed their demands.

Besides Shah, BJP president J.P. Nadda, Assam Chief Minister, his Tripura counterpart Manik Saha, and all the 13 TMP legislators as well as senior leaders of the party were present at the meeting.