The government of India, the government of Tripura, and the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) signed a tripartite agreement on March 2 to address the issues faced by the indigenous people of Tripura, who make up 33% of the population. The signing ceremony was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah among others.
The agreement contains the formation of a joint working committee to resolve issues related to the history, land rights, political rights, economic development, identity, culture, and language of the indigenous people of the State. TIPRA, also known as TIPRA Motha, has agreed to refrain from any form of protest until a solution is reached in a timely manner.
The agreement was signed by TIPRA founder and royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, party President Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl and Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Animesh Debbarma on behalf of their party. Chief Secretary J.K. Sinha and Additional Secretary (NE) of the Ministry of Home Affairs Piyush Goyal represented the Tripura government and the Central government in the agreement.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, and two tribal Ministers of his cabinet - Bikash Debbarma and Sukla Charan Noatia were present at the signing event. The Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues had travelled to New Delhi the previous evening following progress in talks between the TIPRA delegation and MHA officials.
Celebrations broke out in Khumulwng, the headquarters of the tribal autonomous district council, 12 kilometers east of Agartala, and in several other places following the signing of the agreement in New Delhi. TIPRA supporters danced, set off firecrackers and chanted slogans to praise the “Bubagra” (King) for achieving “a constitutional solution to their longstanding problems.”
The agreement signed on Saturday did not specify a timeline for the formation of the joint working committee, but a senior TIPRA leader stated that it would be done next week. He added that the committee will include representatives from the MHA, the Tripura government, TIPRA and the IPFT, which is an alliance partner of the BJP in the ruling coalition.
The signing of the agreement occurred three days after Pradyot Manikya launched a fast unto death protest at Hatai Kotor (formerly Boromura Hills) in west Tripura to protest the central government’s alleged reluctance to provide a constitutional solution to the problems faced by the indigenous people. Within an hour of starting his protest, he announced that he had received a call from the MHA and left the venue for Delhi.
TIPRA has become a major player in State politics with its emotive demand for Greater Tipraland or a separate State for the indigenous population, and it received a substantial mandate in the elections for the tribal autonomous district council in 2021 and in the State Assembly polls early last year. The party won 14 out of 20 reserved seats in the State Assembly and was designated as the main opposition party.
TIPRA founder Pradyot later modified his primary demand for Greater Tipraland and replaced it with a demand for a constitutional solution to the problems faced by the tribal people. This shift gave other political parties, such as the CPI(M) and the Congress, a reason to accuse TIPRA of having a clandestine tie with the BJP which “gained an advantage from the division of votes”.
In response to the tripartite agreement, CPI(M) leader and former Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly Pabitra Kar stated that the episode was orchestrated with an eye on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. A leader of the State Congress opined that TIPRA now has no option but to openly or covertly support the BJP.
