Demand for Greater Tipraland is an eyewash and Thancha (Unity) among indigenous people was first used by Leftists, said CPIM leader and Tripura Rajya Ganamukti Parishad (GMP) president Jitendra Chowdhury.
On Monday, Choudhury came down heavily on TIPRA Chairman Pradyot Kishore Debbarman’s call of “greater Tipraland” dubbing it as an eyewash ahead of the ensuing District Council Polls in Tripura. The veteran CPM leader also claimed that the call of “Thansa (Unity)” was first raised by their party and it was hijacked by the newly minted TIPRA.
Speaking in a press conference, GMP president and former MP said “the word ‘Thancha’ was first coined by our party for the welfare of the indigenous people of Tripura”
He later clarified, they had no objection to the word Thancha but put forward several questions on the context of its use and expressed doubts of any clear policy.
“To make Thancha effective there should be a roadmap; a clear policy is needed that will be implemented. Where are all these?”, Chowdhury wondered.
“The Thancha should not be used to spread terror. This word shouldn’t be used to incite trouble. The Thancha should come forward for the welfare of society. People should be made aware of it”, Chowdhury explained.
Moving on to the greater Tipraland, he said, “It is an eyewash”.
“Since 2009 the IPFT has been demanding for Tipraland. Later on, in 2018 the party came into power with BJP but the demand is not yet fulfilled. And, if they had miserably failed to get its first and core demand fulfilled as to how they felt that the demand of Greater Tipraland would really succeed. They said there would be some places across Agartala city in the greater Tipralandis again meant for triggering speculations and confusion among the masses”, he observed.
He claimed that there was no atmosphere to hold a free and fair election in the state and stated that after the BJP came into power not a single election was held in a peaceful way.
The GMP today held its central committee meeting where they discussed the current situation of the state including the scarcity of food, work etc. They also criticized the BJP for not fulfilling their pre-poll promises.