A delegation of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), who’s supremo Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman earlier announced an indefinite hunger strike unless the Centre met the party’s demand by March 27, suddenly left for Guwahati on Wednesday to meet Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
According to Deb Barman, the Central government was supposed to appoint an interlocutor by March 27 to study the “constitutional solutions” to the TMP’s demands for more autonomy and socio-economic development of the tribals. TMP MLA and party media unit in-charge Paul Dangshu said that the six member delegation led by party chairman Deb Barman had to leave for Guwahati to attend an important meeting.
The other members of the delegation include TMP president Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl, Animesh Debbarma, Brishaketu Debbarma, Biswajit Kalai, all MLAs and former minister Mewar Kumar Jamatia.
Deb Barman on Monday announced that he will go on an indefinite hunger strike unless the Centre appoints the interlocutor by March 27. He earlier said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had on March 23 informed him that the Centre would appoint an interlocutor by March 27 to study the “constitutional solutions” to the TMP’s demands for more autonomy and socio-economic development of the tribals, who constitute one-third of Tripura’s 4 million population.
After his telephonic conversation with Amit Shah he met Sarma on Thursday and said that Sarma would brief Shah regarding the urgency of this matter.
Sarma, who is one of the BJP’s main strategists in the northeastern region, had recently said in Agartala that talks between the BJP and the TMP may resume but it should be under the constitutional framework, and not on the condition of dividing Tripura.
Sarma, who before the Assembly polls held several rounds of negotiations with Deb Barman, had said that talks can resume but “we cannot talk about Greater Tipraland State”.
On March 8, the day the BJP led coalition assumed office for the second consecutive time in Tripura, Amit Shah held a two-hour meeting with TMP leaders and discussed their demands.
Besides Shah, BJP president J.P. Nadda, Assam Chief Minister, his Tripura counterpart Manik Saha, and all the 13 TMP legislators as well as senior leaders of the party were present at the meeting.
