TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot pleads before Amit Shah: People getting restless, need early solution

Pradyot also said his party wants the issue to be resolved “quickly” and that “too much time has gone and people are getting restless”. He later clarified that contrary to speculations that his party would strike a deal with the BJP to join the state government after the meeting with Shah, the issue was not even discussed.

“As promised we have not spoken about joining the government but on our demand! My loyalty remains with my people, those who had doubted me should realize that certain efforts are genuine in life,” he tweeted.

The TIPRA Motha party was formed in 2021 with the demand for a Greater Tipraland state for tribals, who the party claimed had been left underdeveloped under governments run by the Congress, CPM and the BJP since Tripura joined the Indian Union in 1949.

The party’s core demand, however, has undergone a series of changes in the subsequent years. Before the Assembly elections this year, it redefined its stand saying Greater Tipraland would mean an autonomous state within Tripura as per the Constitution of India, albeit with a host of arrangements like direct funding from the Centre.

In the past few months, Motha has repeatedly approached the central government to provide a “constitutional solution” for tribals. A meeting between Shah and Pradyot in March, held shortly after the BJP-led government was sworn in at Agartala, led to the decision to appoint an interlocutor to start talks on issues faced by the tribals and formulate an appropriate solution.

However, the matter of the interlocutor appointment has landed Motha in a tight spot as the deadline has been missed.