Former chairman of Tipra Motha Party – the main Opposition Party in Tripura - Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, held a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday regarding the demand for ‘Greater Tipraland’.
In a separate meeting, the ruling BJP's ally in Tripura, IPFT also discussed with the MHA officials in New Delhi today regarding its core demand - Tipraland.
During the meeting, Debbarma said the discussion took place in a positive atmosphere, and the MHA officials attentively listened to their demands. The specific issues addressed in the meeting and its outcomes were not mentioned by the ex-chairman of the Tipra Motha Party.
He appeared to be buoyed after the meeting as he tweeted, “Five months of trolling, abuse, insults end today as we officially meet the HM officials along with other organizations. I pray that the Almighty gives some enlightenment to those who made fun of me in the last few months," he said in a Twitter post.
"I have suffered immensely but my love for our people remains and so does my commitment," Debbarma said on an emotional note.
He emphasized that their demand for Greater Tipraland is firmly within the framework of India's Constitution and is crucial for the welfare and existence of the Tiprasa community.
Debbarma confirmed that further discussions with MHA officials are scheduled to be held at a later date.
Notably, a delegation of IPFT, an ally of the ruling BJP in Tripura, led by Prem Kumar Reang, the president of IPFT met with AK Mishra, the Advisor to the MHA for Northeast, today at New Delhi. Reang was accompanied by IPFT minister Sukla Charan Noatia.
Later speaking to the media after the meeting, Noatia said that they had discussed the rights of indigenous people in the state and reiterated their demand for a Tipraland which is different from Tipra Motha’s Greater Tipraland.
The meeting with MHA officials also covered topics related to the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019, aimed at empowering the indigenous tribal population in the state, Noatia said.
It's worth noting that Pradyot Kishore had previously met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda to discuss the Greater Tipraland demand following the swearing-in ceremony of the BJP-led government in Tripura in March.