The Tipraha Indigenous Peoples Regional Alliance (TIPRA) has called for a 12-hour general strike in areas of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) on September 30 to press for its set of demands importantly constitutional solution to its contentious Greater Tipraland demand.
The TTAADC was constituted with three fourth lands of the State, but has limited power to administer. One third of the State’s population resides in its demarcated jurisdiction.
The founder of the TIPRA which is the ruling party in the TTAADC and the main Opposition party in State assembly Pradyot Kishore Debbarma announced the band here on Saturday. He recently returned to the State after his long absence and has reportedly been trying to pacify dissenting leaders to prevent their exodus from the regional party.
Two prominent party leaders Dinesh Debbarma and Sridam Debbarma recently resigned from TIPRA and revived the Tipraland State Party (TSP) which had merged with the TIPRA in 2021. TSP founder Chitta Ranjan Debbarma is a TIPRA MLA and he was reportedly not happy with the style of functioning of top brass of the party.
Party sources said a section of leaders believed that Mr. Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, former Chairman of TIPRA, was hobnobbing with top BJP leaders without their knowledge. Another section was interested to join the BJP led coalition in Tripura and accept ministerial berths.
During his interaction with newsmen on Saturday Mr. Debbarma also demanded benefits for the TTAADC similar to Bodo and Karbi councils in Assam that were recently accorded amended administrative and financial powers.
He later took to social media to blame the central government for not allegedly addressing issues of indigenous people in Tripura. “Silence cannot be seen as a compromise, I will always stand for our people”, the Mr. Pradyot Kishore Debbarma stated.
