The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), on Monday resumed their agitation against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
The IPFT activists staged sit-in-demonstration in Khumulwng, the headquarters of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
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“Thousands of tribals, including women and youths from across Tripura took part in the indefinite sit-in-protest in Khumulwng (25 km north of Agartala) on Monday. Our top leaders including party President Narendra Chandra Debbarma and general secretary Mevar Kumar Jamatia lead the sit-in-demonstration,” IPFT assistant general secretary Mangal Debbarma said.
Besides keeping Tripura out of the purview of the CAA, the IPFT has been demanding creation of a separate state for the tribals and inclusion of the tribal language “Kokborok” into the 8th schedule of the constitution.
A delegation of the IPFT leaders led by party general secretary Mevar Kumar Jamatia met Union home minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on December 12 and discussed their demands.
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“Though the Union home minister had assured us to take favourable steps towards our demands, but we are yet to get any positive response from the Central government. We are still hopeful that the Central government would take positive steps in regards to our demands,” Debbarma told reporters.
He said Amit Shah had told us that after the Christmas (on December 25) he would look into our issues or would hold another round of meeting with us, but nothing that we could notice has happened as of now.
“Despite the CAA, various border management measures and steps including erection of border fencing, the infiltrations from across the border are unabated. The influx from Bangladesh already had a huge burden on our resources and economy. The increasing unemployment would be further aggravated,” he added.