Agartala, Jul 26: Several Chakma organizations under the banner of Chakma National Council reacted sharply at the recent statement of the Council of Tiprasa Hoda saying that it would foment communal tension and divide among the communities of the state.
The Tiprasa Hoda statement and letter to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah where it was said that there had been large scale infiltration of the Chakmas to Tripura from Bangladesh. The Council of Tiprasa Hoda had maintained that the ‘infiltration of the Bangladeshi Chakmas’ in Tripura severely affected the livelihood of the locals. Besides, the Hoda alleged many of the infiltrators were involved in smuggling and illegal activities.
The Chakma National Council of India in a press statement on Monday said, such communal and unconstitutional attitude of the Hoda would affect the hundreds years old communal harmony in Tripura. The statement was signed by several other Chakma and Buddhist organizations including those of the student bodies of the community.
The Chakma leaders also referred to the Rajmala ( the Royal Chronicle of the Tripura Kings) and pointed out it also had mentioned presence of Chakmas in Tripura from time immemorial.
The fact is according to Rajmala the Chakma Community had been recognized as Praja of the Tripura kings since the time of Maharaja Trilochan ( the king whose reference is believed to have been found in the Mahabharata).
“Moreover, since Independence in 1947 there is no record of large scale infiltration of Chakma community in Tripura. According to the census reports of Tripura the Chakma population in the state was 4,510 in 1901, in 2001 it stood at 64,293 and in 2011 it rose to 79,813—which is much less than the normal population growth”, said the Chakma leaders said
“According to conventional theory population of a community usually get doubled in every 25 years. In that calculation the Chakma population should have stood at 1.5 million”, the Chakma body pointed out. Nevertheless, it admitted the fact that population migration from a neighbouring country to another neighbouring country or a neighbouring state to another neighbouring state was a world wide phenomenon and Tripura could not be really an exception.
“The issue issensitive and cannot be specific to any particular community”, the Chakma National Council said.
The Chakma organizations felt the migration of Chakmas had been thrown out proportion by the Tiprasa Hoda and it was an attempt to destroy the communal harmony. The Council appealed to the government to look into the matter in a non-communal manner.
The Chakma leaders said they had noticed reactions from various political parties and leaders and they had every reason to believe that the issue targeting the Chakma community had a political ploy behind to create a communal divide.
