A tripartite agreement was signed today between the Centre, the Tripura governmentand the Tripura Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance, popularly known as TIPRA Motha and other stakeholders, in New Delhi. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, and other senior leaders including opposition leader Animesh Debbarma , TTAADC CEM et al attended the meeting. Senior state government officials including Chief Secretary J K Sinha were also there.
Sources said, the agreement’s key point was only one– formation of a Joint Working Group/ Committee to look intothe matter for which the TIPRA motha was fighting. The agreement –written in one page and three paragraphs only-said the proposed committee would look into the matter and work out the issues pertaining to the indigenous people’s land rights, protection history, culture , language, identity, culture political rights economic developments etc.
There was no specific point that to be implemented , just to assuage the TIPRA motha and bring an end to all those high decibel agitation /protests one clause was included–the formation of a Joint Working Group. The agreement also made it clear that all stakeholders (read TIPRA Motha) would refrain from resorting to any protest or agitation from the day of signing the agreement.
The agreement was signed by Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, Bijoy Hrangkhawl and Animesh Debbarma for TIPRA Motha and for the state government Chief Secretary J K Sinha and Additional Secretary MHA NE P K Goyel.
It may be mentioned here that during IPFT agitation under late N C Debbarma also one such Modality committee was once formed. Then the papers were more elaborate and detailed–the fate of the committee is not now known.
Even Pradyot Kishore in his interview to a TV channel did not apear much happy and restrained himself from saying that he had won the battle. What he sought to convey that on way to Constitutional solution –half work was only done.
Speaking on the occasion, HOme Minister Shah said, ” today was a historic day for Tripura. He said, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several efforts have been made to realise the vision of an insurgency-free, violence-free, and dispute-free North East. Mr Shah said that ten thousand people have left their arms and come into the mainstream and due to this an environment of development has been created in the North East”.
