Agartala: In response to numerous demands made by the opposition TIPRA Motha party's founder and chief, Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, for the advancement of the state's indigenous population, the Center on Saturday signed a significant tripartite agreement with the Tripura government, the TIPRA Motha party, and several stakeholders in New Delhi, according to officials with knowledge of the situation.
In the presence of TIPRA Motha head Pradyot Kishore, Tripura chief minister Dr. Manik Saha, and Union home minister Amit Shah, the agreement was inked. There were also a few legislators, Biplab Kumar Deb, a former chief minister of Tripura and member of the Rajya Sabha, Bikash Debbarma, and Shukla Charan Noatia, the minister of Tripura, according to officials.
For Tripura, this is a historic day. With this accord, we acknowledged the mistakes of the past, paid our respects, and came to terms with the reality of the present. These three elements have been combined, and we have worked toward the future. After the signing, Shah stated that while past cannot be changed, people can move forward by acknowledging their faults and maintaining an eye on the present.
The deal was reached a year after Shah and TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Kishore met in Agartala, where the home minister designated a mediator to go over the party's requests.
A collaborative working group or committee would be established in accordance with the agreement to address and settle all tribal concerns pertaining to their history, political and land rights, economic development, culture, identity, language, etc. All parties involved have been requested to abstain from engaging in any form of protest in order to preserve a setting that is favorable for the agreement's implementation.
Shah added, "I promise all Tripura stakeholders that you won't have to fight for your rights anymore."
Following a series of meetings with The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance/TIPRA, also referred to as TIPRA Motha, and other relevant parties, the governments of India, Tripura, and TIPRA decided to peacefully settle all issues concerning the history, political rights, land rights, economic development, identity, culture, language, and other matters pertaining to the indigenous people of Tripura. To work out and put into practice the points that were unanimously agreed upon on all of the aforementioned topics, it was decided to form a Joint Working Group / Committee.The agreement says...
Due to a demographic shift following the large-scale settlements of non-tribals from Bangladesh during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, there have been accusations of deprivation endured by the tribal people.
According to Shah, all tribal groups, all organizations, and the TIPRA Motha party have contributed positively to this.
It was worked on by former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, and current chief minister Dr. Manik Saha also did a thorough analysis and offered assistance in coming to a decision. I'm hoping Tripura would embrace Prime Minister Modi's vision of Vikasit Bharat. According to Shah, Tripura would advance as Viksit Tripura together with the rest of the nation after we attain Viksit Bharat.
Speaking about the various agreements made under the National Democratic Alliance government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party to bring about peace and stability in India's northeastern states, Shah said that they have worked to make the region free of violence, conflict, and terrorism under the direction of Prime Minister Modi.
We have chatted with several groups. Almost ten thousand people have given up their weapons and joined society again. This has created a development atmosphere in the Northeast, he claimed.
According to Shah, the northeastern state has inked 11 peace and boundary settlement agreements so far.
The Bru migrants permanent resettlement tripartite agreement and Boro Accord in Assam in 2020; the Karbi Peace Accord in Assam in 2021; the Adivasi Accord and Assam-Meghalaya inter-state boundary agreement in 2022; the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh inter-state boundary agreement in 2023; and the Dimasa peace accord, UNLF accord, and ULFA accord in 2023 were signed after the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) peace accord in 2019.
The state's tribals have been demanding a resolution and independent statehood from Pradyot Kishore, who said earlier this week that they would fast to death at Hatai Kotor, near Agartala, to protest the "Centre's delay in finding a constitutional solution" for the state's tribals.
After giving a quick speech to the assembly, he claimed to have received a call from New Delhi informing him that he had been called to speak by the home ministry. He informed the crowd, "I am going to Delhi empty-handed and with an empty stomach, but I will not return empty-handed.
CM Saha, his cabinet ministers, and leaders of TIPRA Motha departed the state for New Delhi on Friday. On Sunday, Pradyot Kishore arrived in Agartala.
He congratulated Shah and PM Modi after signing the deal. I'd want to express that we are looking to the future while accepting the historical issues of the past.
Indeed, we've inked a historic agreement, so go ahead and celebrate—just not too much! We must work much harder and exercise greater discipline as a group and as leaders if we rejoice and neglect the tasks that need to be completed on time. He stated that in addition to correcting our historical and cultural pride, we also need to implement our land rights, financial pattern, language (script) issue, and political representation.
He promised to break his fast and meet the people when he arrived in Hatai Kotor tomorrow.
In 2021, Pradyot Kishore founded TIPRA Motha after quitting Congress. In the same year, his party won control of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. Later, with 13 lawmakers, his party became the principal opposition in the legislature last year.
