Tribal parties in Tripura want to toe Assam’s line – they have demanded that a similar National Register of Citizens (NRC) exercise like the one done in Assam be replicated in their State.
A report published in the The Times of India stated that the demand has been made primarily by the tribal parties in Tripura. Leading the Tripura campaign is the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT).
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The report quoted the INPT president, Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhwal, as saying, “The spirit of the NRC is in line with what the Constitution guarantees – protection of its citizens.” The demand to identify and deport “Bangladeshi migrants” and to introduce an Inner Line Permit (ILP) system to restrict entry into tribal autonomous council areas has always been at the core of the party’s agenda.
“We will launch an agitation in Tripura, seeking an NRC for our State as well,” the militant-turned-legislator added. The BJP-led State Government has made it clear that it is not considering any such exercise in the State. However, BJP ally in the ruling coalition, the tribal-based Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), is not on the same page. “We had organised rallies in Tripura earlier, demanding an NRC for the State. On August 23 next, the IPFT will hold a mega rally in Khumulwng (headquarters of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council),”
vice-president of IPFT, Ananta Debbarma, told the media in Agartala on Wednesday.