As Tripura govt prepares to implement CAA, BJP ally IPFT reiterates demand for Tipraland

The demand came even as the BJP’s other ruling alliance partner TIPRA Motha said the CAA wouldn’t allow immigrants to get legal rights in Tripura ADC areas.

Speaking to reporters, IPFT vice president Pradip Debbarma said, “Tribal interests wouldn’t be protected by keeping the TTAADC outside the ambit of the CAA alone. Implementing this act in the non-ADC areas will change the demographic composition of the state’s population. This will further lead the tribals to become minorities, which in turn will lead to less reserved seats for Scheduled Tribes (ST) in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, less reserved benefits in education and jobs. The tribals will become non-existent at some time.”

The IPFT leader also claimed issues centering reservation for Tripuri tribals wouldn’t rise anymore if a separate state is formed comprising the Tripura ADC areas.

Formed in 1982, the Tripura ADC is spread across nearly 70 per cent of the state’s geographical area and houses one-third of the state’s population from 19 tribal communities.

Forming Tipraland happens to be the core demand of the IPFT. The demand was taken a notch up by the TIPRA Motha through the Greater Tipraland demand.

The IPFT party, which is also a member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), on Saturday also demanded that the job of ensuring no “outsider” could get legal rights inside the tribal council be handed over to the TTAADC.

Thanking the central government for “considering interests of tribals” in formulating the CAA, the IPFT leader said all tribal council areas of the state were kept outside the ambit of the law under section 3, sub section 6 (b)-4 of the CAA. He termed it their moral victory saying there was no restriction on granting citizenship to the people in the 6th schedule areas of any state except Assam in the Citizenship Act, 1955.

“We consider it our moral victory since the CAA has constitutionally mandated that no one except tribals can be granted legal rights within the 6th schedule areas,” Debbarma said.

IPFT’s comments come amidst demands for further clarification on the CAA from Tipra Motha founder and royal scion-turned-politician Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, who recently said that though the ADC has been kept outside the ambit of the law, some people were spreading propaganda on the issue and the central government should clarify its stand.

In an X post on May 19, Pradyot Kishore had written that he had a word with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials and was assured that the CAA wouldn’t be implemented in any 6th schedule areas.

Earlier this week, Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha announced that the CAA would be implemented in the state even as opposition political parties clamour to register their protest against the law.