Newly appointed Tripura minister and senior Tipra-Motha leader Animesh Debbarma on Thursday said that his party would continue to demand for ‘Greater Tipraland’ or a separate state for the tribals under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.

Animesh Debbarma along with another Motha legislator Brishaketu Debbarma on Thursday inducted into the BJP led coalition government headed by Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha.

Animesh Debbarma said that the Tipra-Motha can not forget its core issues for the all round development of the tribals, who constitute one third of Tripura’s four million populations.

“Earlier we were in the opposition party. Now with the inclusion into the cabinet, we have the authority and power to take forward our issues. We would continue to demand for the ‘Greater Tipraland’ unless it was achieved,” he told the media.

Tipra-Motha, in its maiden electoral battle in the February 16 Assembly polls held last year, had fielded 42 candidates, including 20 on the tribal reserved seats on its own.

The tribal based party, which has been governed the politically important Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) since April 2021, had won 13 seats in the 60-member assembly with a vote share of 19.69 per cent, as it highlighted its demand for ‘Greater Tipraland’.

Animesh Debbarma, a computer science engineer who worked in a Central government owned PSU before joining politics 15 years ago, said that constitutional solutions of political, economic, traditional, cultural issues of the tribals are required for their lasting solutions.

Before taking the oath, Animesh Debbarma resigned from the post of Opposition Leader in the state assembly.

“For a serious politician there are always responsibilities. As opposition leader, I have performed one kind of responsibility, while a minister has different responsibility. With all sincerity I will try to perform my responsibilities assigned to me as minister,” said Animesh Debbarma.

Tipra-Motha supremo and former royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, who along with other party leaders were present in the swearing-in-ceremony, held in the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhavan on Thursday morning, said that he has given a clear message to his party’s two ministers, who joined the government on Thursday, that they shall not do the same mistake done by IPFT as after they joined the government with BJP and became ministers.

“The IPFT leaders became ministers and then became silent on their demands,” Debbarma told the media.

Another tribal-based party, the IPFT, is also an ally of the BJP-led government, and its lone MLA Shukla Charan Noatia is now a Cabinet minister in charge of Cooperation, Tribal Welfare (TRP and PTG) and Welfare of Minorities Departments.

In the first BJP led alliance ministry led by former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, there were two ministers from the IPFT, which since 2009 has been demanding to upgrade the TTAADC as a state for the tribals.

The ruling BJP, opposition CPI(M) and the Congress have been opposing the demands of both IPFT and the Tipra-Motha.

After year-long hectic parlays and six days after signing of a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Tripura government, the Motha decided to join the BJP-led coalition government in Tripura adding a new twist to state politics.

After a series of agitations in Tripura and Delhi, the TMP on March 2 signed a tripartite agreement with the Center and the Tripura government in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha and others.

According to the agreement, a Joint Working Group,Committee would be formed to work out and implement the mutually agreed issues in a time-bound manner to ensure an 'honourable' solution to tribals' demands.

“The agreement was signed amicably to resolve all the issues of the indigenous people of Tripura relating to their history, land rights, political rights, economic development, identity, culture, language etc.,” the agreement said.