By Firstdespatch Desk Nov 12, 2022
Agartala, Nov 12 (FD) Tipra Motha Supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarma today reiterated that his party will fight unto death to achieve their demand for greater Tipraland to safeguard the rights of the 13 lakh indigenous people in Tripura.
Addressing a mammoth gathering at the Swami Vivekananda Maidan here he said the existence of the indigenous people is at stake and a separate state is required for constitutional safeguard of the indigenous people of the state.
He said many separate states came into being in India for development of communities and his party wanted separate state within the frame work of the constitution.
Taking a dig at the ruling BJP without naming it said he was offered the post of MP and central minister and many other rewarding offers including money but he did not respond to it.
The regional party chief said that his party can forge alliance with any national party that will give an assurance in writing about ‘Greater Tipraland.
Attaching maximum importance on Thansa or the unity among the various tribal communities in the state, he said any attempt by any quarter to break the unity would be punished by the community.
In an oblique reference to the ruling BJP the Tipra Motha chief said a party assured to give jobs after getting a miscall from the candidates or to increase the wage of MGNREGA up to Rs.340 but did not implement their assurances.
He said Manikya kings had ruled Tripura for thousand years but after joining the Indian union indigenous people are now fighting for their existence.
Debbarma said the party also assured for a state council by carving out the present tribal council but nothing was done.
“Party has changed but power has not come to the indigenous people. Power is lying in the constitution of the country, but that constitution was not written for the safeguard of the indigenous people. So we have to wrest power in the next assembly election to establish our right”, he said.
He said, “My forefathers had built many temples including the ‘Durga Bari’ and ‘Maata Tripureshwari’ temples in the state”.
He said, there are presence of Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists in the state and people belonging to various nationalities.
“We are not against any individual, institution and culture and we will work for all. We want to live with all and the demography of the state will remain the same always”, Pradyot said.
Former football star and Sikkimese political leader Baichung Bhutia who also said that he wanted to see Tripura is ruled by its own people and not by people from Delhi or other big cities. FD JK