MHA adviser holds meetings with Tripura tribal parties

AGARTALA: A senior ministry of home affairs official held separate meetings with two tribal parties of Tripura - opposition Tipra Motha, and the IPFT which is an ally of the ruling BJP - on the indigenous people's problems in the northeastern state.

A K Mishra, the adviser of ministry of home affairs for northeast, also met several ‘samajpatis' (village heads) of the state.

“We had a meeting with the MHA adviser A K Mishra and placed our core demand in Delhi on Thursday,” Tipra Motha leader Animesh Debbarma who attended the meeting told reporters at the airport here after returning from the national capital.

Tipra Motha, the main opposition party of Tripura, has been demanding a separate state for tribals.

Party supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma on Thursday said that a party delegation had held an “official” meeting with MHA officials, but did not specify the issues discussed.

“Five months of trolling, abuse, insults end today as we officially meet the HM officials along with other organisations. I pray that the almighty gives some enlightenment to those who made fun of me in the last few months,” Debbarma had said in a Twitter post.

On Friday, he said he is glad that the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) has raised a similar demand.

“We have not compromised on the future of the Tiprasa people and I am glad the IPFT also has raised the common demand of Tipraland. If we remain united we will achieve something. Further Discussion will be held at a later date,” he added.

Earlier on July 1, Debbarma had called on Union home minister Amit Shah and urged him to bring a "Constitutional solution" to its demand for "Greater Tipraland".

He had also discussed with Shah and BJP president JP Nadda on this issue after the swearing-in ceremony of the saffron party-led government here in March.

The concept of ‘Greater Tipraland' state has not been specified, though it is supposed to include parts of several other northeastern states and Bangladesh, besides Tripura.

In the party's plenary session held on July 16, Tipra Motha endorsed greater Tipraland as its core demand for a constitutional solution to the problems of indigenous people.