The dawn-to-dusk strike called by Tripura's Opposition party TIPRA Motha over its demand for Greater Tipraland started at 6 am Saturday. Till now, the protest is uneventful, garnering mixed reactions from the different parts of the state. The strike called by TIPRA Motha founder and royal scion-turned-politician Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma was touted as an attempt to send a message of a unified demand by all tribal communities of Tripura for a separate statehood to Delhi. Motha, which is currently in talks with the Centre over its demand for Greater Tipraland, a proposed separate state for Tripuri tribals comprising areas under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), earlier appealed other tribal-based political parties and tribal clan leaders to join the dialogue. Subsequently, the MHA Advisor on northeast affairs A K Mishra met them separately in New Delhi to take stock of the intensity of the statehood demand. Four days back, Debbarma appealed to the tribals of the state to unite and build a collective movement by rising above political, ethnic and religious lines. He also urged his supporters Friday to make sure that the strike is observed peacefully and doesn't involve violence under any circumstances. Speaking to reporters Saturday, Tripura ADC Executive Member Kamal Kalai said Motha supporters were engaged in picketing at as many as 29 locations among the state's ADC areas in West Tripura district alone. They have also put up a blockade on the rail tracks. "Our demand is simple. We want Greater Tipraland. It is reiteration of the fact that tribals were deprived of development, we were stripped of our land rights, cultural rights etc, despite being assured 76 years back at the time of the state's merger with the Indian union. All tribals of Tripura today want a separate state for our overall development through constitutional remedies," Kalai said. The leader also said the strike is being observed peacefully and no one except emergency services like security forces, ambulance services, milk vans, media and wedding vehicles are being allowed to pass. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Assistant Inspector General (Law and Order) Jyotishman Das Chowdhury said the strike is in progress peacefully till now and road blockades have been put up in at least 70 locations of the state apart from rail blockades at Manu in Ambassa district, Mungiakami in West Tripura and Kalacherra in South Tripura district. The state government Friday had issued a notification mandating all officials and employees to compulsorily attend office on Saturday and the police were instructed to ensure necessary law and order arrangements to ensure no untoward incidents happen. In a memorandum, Under Secretary of the General Administration Department P Das said it is imperative that all offices, government undertakings and state government organisations in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) function normally on the day of the bandh and all government employees and employees of all such undertakings and organisations should perform their duties as usual on the day. In view of the 12-hour ADC strike, the order said any violation of the instructions by government employees and employees of all undertakings and organizations "will be viewed seriously". The strike is happening in the midst of contradiction among the Opposition political parties themselves as the CPI(M), which used to be the primary opposition party till February this year when the last Assembly polls were held, has said that the call for a separate state is an attempt to divert public attention from genuine concerns like law and order, employment etc. Nearly 70 per cent of Tripura's 10,491 km geographical area is under the Tripura ADC, which houses people from 19 different tribal communities, who comprise around 30 per cent of the state's 37 lakh (2011 census) population.
