Agartala, Nov 30 (UNI): Aiming to pile up pressure on the ruling BJP, opposition TIPRA Motha has hired a train from Northeast Frontier Railway to hold a demonstration in Delhi on December 5-6 next to press for their demand of Greater Tipraland just before the assembly elections.
Motha leaders on Wednesday said that there were several rounds of talk with the central government over passing the long pending 125th constitution amendment bill, the elevation of the status of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC), and empowerment of ADC as the steps forward to Greater Tipraland but nothing has progressed.
“TIPRA Motha will fight the upcoming assembly election and field the candidates not only in 20 tribal reserved seats in 60 -members’ house, but also to contest in the general seats, as the party is not against non-tribals. We are fighting for the interest of the indigenous population beyond the community,” said senior party leader and Chairman of ADC Jagadish Debbarma.
He said around 2000 cadres of TIPRA Motha will start from Agartala in a 16 coaches special train in the afternoon of December 2, which is scheduled to reach Delhi on December 4 night and from the next morning the agitation would be started at Jantar Mantar along with few thousand Tiprasa (indigenous tribes) residing in Delhi NCR.
During the demonstration, TIPRA Motha would submit a memorandum to Prime Minister and all other concerned ministries at the centre reiterating the demand of Greater Tipraland. The protesters will start the return journey on the same train for Agartala on December 7 and the party has paid Rs 10 lakh as a hiring charge.
“Thousands of Tiprasa from all over the country will travel to Delhi to compel the decision-makers in the power corridors of the national capital to listen to our lawful and constitutional demands. Let’s show the true spirit and power of unity for a greater cause,” said TIPRA Chairman Pradyot Kishore Debbarman.
The ruling BJP in Tripura and the opposition Congress have been persuading TIPRA for a long time to forge an alliance in the coming assembly poll but it couldn’t yet shape up because Pradyot made a condition of written commitment from the party before joining hands.
Recently CPI(M) and Congress leaders openly extended their support in principle towards the elevation of the status of ADC and demand of Greater Tipraland while BJP opposed it citing the reason that such demand would widen the communal divide between tribal and non-tribal, and Greater Tipraland doesn’t have any base rather to an attempt to divide the small geography of Tripura.
