The Tripura government has pledged to implement the Tripura Accord within a month, a move that is seen as a significant boost for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Party leaders are optimistic as they prepare for the upcoming Village Committee elections under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC). This commitment to timely execution is expected to strengthen the BJP’s position in the region as they gear up for the polls.
BJP Strengthens Ties with Tribal Communities Ahead of Elections
The BJP is optimistic that a recent announcement by Chief Minister Manik Shah will bolster its support among tribal communities, which play a crucial role in elections. Scheduled tribes (STs) represent approximately 30% of the electorate, holding 20 of the 60 assembly seats reserved for them.
In a strategic move, the BJP has declared its intention to partner with TIPRA Motha for the upcoming Village Committee elections. TIPRA Motha has been a leading advocate for the implementation of the accord. This alliance will also encompass the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT).
TIPRA Motha Party chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarman on Monday welcomed the state government’s announcement and said it was a victory of the indigenous people While the BJP is weighing the political benefits of the announcement. Debbarman who met union home minister Amit Shah along with Tripura CM Manika Saha last week has been pushing for the implementation of the Accord for securing the land and economic rights of the tribal people. He was however emphatic that the announcement should not be linked to electoral politics. “This is not a victory of my party, it is the victory of the indigenous people of Tripura and the entire North East region. “The alliance of the BJP, TIPRA Motha and the IPFT is good for every segment of the state. Take the case of the BRU refugees. They had been living in Tripura for decades in camps without proper arrangements for livelihood and education.
They have struggled for their Constitutional rights that have been denied to them for the past 70 years,” he said. The Accord, which was signed between the union government, the state government of Tripura, and TIPRA Motha in March 2024, seeks to protect the political rights of the tribal people by securing their land rights and financial rights. It was the BJP government that signed the (quadripartite) agreement (in 2020) to permanently settle over 34,000 BRU refugees in the state,” said the BJP leader quoted above.
Debbarman said unlike the rest of the northeastern states, tribals in Tripura were not given their constitutional land rights and financial autonomy of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.
