The demand for a Greater Tipraland
Why in news:
- The newest political party in Tripura, the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) Motha, floated in 2019 has created a flutter with its demand for a Greater Tipraland.
- With this core demand, the party has brought other indigenous political parties under its fold.
What is Greater Tipraland?
- Tipraland is the name of a proposed state in India for the indigenous Tripuri people in the tribal areas of the Tripura.
- They demand the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council and some surrounding areas to be made into a separate state from Tripura.
- The proposed state covers 68% of the total geographical area of the Tripura and is home to over one-third of the total population of Tripura.
- There is also a demand for a “Greater Tipraland” by adding Tripuris dominant areas outside the TTAADC and creation of development council for Tripuris living in other Indian states.
- Greater Tipraland is the core ideological demand of the TIPRA Motha.
- The party released what it called a Vision Document saying that it was committed to seeking a permanent solution upholding the rights of the indigenous people of Tripura as per the Constitution of India.
- The objective is to carve out a new State for the 19 indigenous tribes of Tripura under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
- In its current form, the contours of the new State would go beyond the TTAADC areas to include several other villages where the Tiprasa (indigenous people of Tripura) reside in large numbers.
- In addition, the Motha would set up task forces to connect with the Tiprasa living in other regions of the country and the world to help them with their linguistic, cultural, social, and economic development.
Aftermath effects of such demand:
- It seems to have considerably polarised an already uneasy relationship between the tribals and the nontribals since the State emerged from the days of armed insurgency.
- The TIPRA Motha put up a massive roadshow in November which is being hailed as one of the largest political mobilisation of tribals in the State.
Syllabus: Prelims + Mains; GS2 – Polity and Governance
