Tipra Motha Party’s (TMP) supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma met three Union Ministers in Delhi on Thursday to demand support for the development of the tribals. His meetings came in the wake of TMP’s strong displeasure over the ‘sluggish progress in implementing the tripartite accord signed between the Centre, the Tripura government, and the TMP for a “constitutional solution” to the problems faced by tribals, before the Lok Sabha elections.
Accompanied by his sister, Tripura East MP Kriti Devi Debbarman—who is a BJP MP– Debbarma held discussions with Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram, and Union Minister of State Jayant Chaudhary. According to TMP sources, the discussions centered around various aspects of tribal development in Tripura, with Debbarma demanding adequate support from the Union Ministers.
Following his meeting with Scindia, Debbarma posted on X: “Met DoNER Minister JM Scindia and apprised him of the problems faced by the Indigenous tribes of Tripura, especially in the 6th schedule areas. Social impact assessment and audit of the projects must be done. And informed him about the projects which can be implemented in TTAADC.”
After his meeting with Oram, Debbarma stated: “Tripura used to be an indigenous/tribal state and over the years, due to various factors, we, the indigenous, have become a minority in our own land. Requested him to financially empower the TTAADC.”
The TMP has been governing the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) since April 2021. The TTAADC has jurisdiction over two-thirds of the state’s 10,491 square km area and is home to over 12,16,000 people, of which around 84 percent are tribals. Politically, it is the second most important constitutional body in the state after the Assembly.
In the 2023 Assembly polls, the TMP won 13 seats, all reserved for tribals. On March 2, the party signed a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government. Five days later, on March 7, two MLAs from the TMP became ministers in the BJP-led government. The agreement envisaged the establishment of a Joint Working Group/Committee to work out and implement mutually agreed issues in a time-bound manner to ensure an “honourable” solution to the tribals’ demands.
However, TMP President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl and other leaders recently expressed concern over the implementation of the tripartite accord. They announced that the party would contest the upcoming three-tier panchayat polls in July or August independently. “We cannot lose our identity as a regional party. We would highlight the basic issues and problems of the tribals. We would fight for the constitutional solutions of the tribals’ demands and issues,” Hrangkhawl told the media.
The TMP is advocating for ‘Greater Tipraland’ or a separate state for the tribals under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. However, this demand has faced strong opposition from the BJP.
