Agartala: Tripura’s Principal Opposition Party, TIPRA Motha, signed a tripartite agreement with the Government of India and the Government of Tripura at New Delhi on Saturday to address the grievances flagged by the tribal outfit.
From the beginning, TIPRA Motha had been asking for a constitutional solution to address the problems associated with funding of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, protection of language and culture, and land rights of the 13 lakh people belonging to the indigenous communities.
The accord was signed at the conference room of the Home Ministry in New Delhi in the presence of Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, Leader of the Opposition Animesh Debbarma, founder of TIPRA Motha Pradyot Kishore Debbbarman, Rajya Sabha MP Biplab Kumar Deb, lone IPFT Minister Sukla Charan Noatia et al.
Several senior leaders of both parties also remained witness to the agreement that is being described as “historic” and “future-oriented” by either of the sides.
Speaking at the event, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, “Under the leadership of PM Modi, peace prevailed in the North Eastern region. Several peace accords were signed in the last seven years and around 10,000 militants laid down their arms to join mainstream life.”
The Union Home Minister also recognized the role of Tripura’s royal family in providing asylum to the displaced Hindu Bengalis from Pakistan at the time of partition. Shah also expressed hope that after this accord all the misunderstandings between the tribal and non-tribal societies living in Tripura would be resolved.
According to the peace accord, a joint committee would be formed that would look after the implementation part of the accord.
However, the document that was accessed by EastMojo fails to provide any specifics on what kind of solution would be delivered through this accord.
“A series of meetings were recently held with The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance/TIPRA, popularly known as Tipra Motha, and other stakeholders, based on which, the Government of India, Government of Tripura, and TIPRA agreed to amicably resolve all issues of the indigenous people of Tripura relating to history, land rights, political rights, economic development, identity, culture, language, etc.
It was agreed to constitute a Joint Working Group/ Committee to work out and implement the mutually agreed points on all the above-mentioned issues in a time-bound manner to ensure an honourable solution. To maintain a conducive atmosphere for the implementation of this Agreement, all stakeholders shall refrain from resorting to any form of agitation/ protest during this period, starting from the day of signing,” the agreement reads.
Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha, in his brief speech, explained the accord as a “need of the hour”.
Founder of TIPRA Motha Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, through a social media post, revealed that the signatories would work cohesively to resolve issues like land rights, funding patterns, and political representation. “Yes we have signed a Historical accord and we can celebrate but not too much! If we celebrate and forget what has to be done within a time frame then we will have to work even more hard, be disciplined as leaders and as a community. We have to implement our land rights, funding pattern, language (script) issue, political representation and also correct our historical and cultural pride,” a portion of his social media post reads.
Sources in Tripura BJP said that following the accord, both parties have become natural allies, so it would be better to work together in the government. After the arrival of TIPRA leaders here in the state, a meeting will be convened to discuss the modalities of working together.
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“If everything goes in the right direction, a reshuffle in the state cabinet is on the cards. Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha may expand his cabinet, inducting new members from the new ally. Technically, the BJP-IPFT coalition will now be known as the BJP-IPFT-TIPRA combination. The swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet members is likely to be held on March 08,” a top BJP functionary of Tripura told EastMojo.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha is also going to brief the press soon after he returns from New Delhi.
Also Read | Tripura: Pradyot drops hint of agreement with Centre today