AGARTALA: Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, notified Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman, the leader of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), on Thursday, March 23, that the Government would appoint a mediator by March 27 to look into "constitutional remedies" to the TMP's requests.

After winning control of the politically significant Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) in April 2021, the party has been pressing for the establishment of a "Greater Tipraland State" or a breakaway state in accordance with Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.

The TMP's requests will have an intermediary appointed by March 27 to research and settle on "constitutional remedies," the party president said.

He further stated in a tweet that he received a call early in the morning from the honourable Home Minister Amit Shah asking about his health. Also, he unequivocally guaranteed me that by this month's 27th, an interlocutor for our discussions regarding the constitutional solution for our indigenous people of Tripura will be announced.

"I'm hoping the home minister will recognise the Tiprasa's feelings and keep his word," he said. The TMP, which was running for the first time and fielding candidates for 42 seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly, gained 13 of the 20 tribal seats that were allotted for them by making the "Greater Tipraland State" issue one of the most prominent issues in the February 16 Assembly elections.

The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), the TMP's ally, received one seat, while the opposition CPI-M and the Congress won 11 and three seats, respectively. The BJP won 32 seats, making it the second-largest party overall.

But Chief Minister Manik Saha said last week that the state administration would rather do all possible for the development of the tribals, who make up one-third of Tripura's four million inhabitants, rather than accept the TMP's demand for a "Greater Tipraland State."

Deb Barman informed the Union government that it would shortly designate an intermediary to investigate and address the requests of the TMP within three months following a two-hour meeting with the Union Home Minister in Agartala on March 8.

He told the media that Shah had promised that, similar to Nagaland, an intermediary will be chosen to handle and address TMP's concerns within three months or another certain period of time.

Together with Shah, prominent party officials J.P. Nadda, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Manik Saha, the chief ministers of Tripura and Assam, as well as all 13 TMP parliamentarians, were present at the meeting.

Together with the opposition CPI-M, Congress, Trinamool Congress, and other parties, the ruling BJP has been vehemently opposed to the call for a "Greater Tipraland State."

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