No talk of alliance: Tipra Motha chief after meeting BJP leaders Amit Shah, JP Nadda

NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah has started the process for a constitutional solution for the indigenous people of Tripura and an interlocutor for this process will be appointed soon, Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarma said on Wednesday.
Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda met the royal scion at the state guest house in Agartala on Wednesday amid strong indications that his party might join the BJP-led alliance in Tripura.

"I thank the Home Minister for understanding the genuine problems of the Son of the soil. We successfully got our Bru people rehabilitation in our state after 23 years by signing the Bru accord and today we have started a huge dialogue to ensure that our survival and existence are protected," tweeted Debbarma.
He added that "issues such as alliance and cabinet were never discussed ... only the interest of our dopha was discussed".
"We will have a series of talk with chief minister Manik Saha, we are here for the betterment of Tripura. We are here for a constitutional solution for the indigenous community," Debbarman told reporters after the meeting.
Sources said that three ministerial berths in the new state cabinet have been kept vacant for the Tipra Motha, which emerged as the second-largest party in the recent assembly elections after winning 13 seats, should they agree to join the government. The BJP won 32 seats.
Greater Tipraland demand
The BJP central leadership has been trying to persuade the Tipra Motha to join the government but its chief has rejected any alliance until given a written commitment for the constitutional solution of their Greater Tipraland demand, said sources.

The Tipra Motha has been demanding a separate state, Greater Tipraland, for the tribal people of Tripura.
On the day Debbarma extended his wishes to the newly appointed chief minister, Manik Saha, he claimed that he had received many calls from the BJP to join the government but declined the offer, seeking a constitutional solution to tribal issues.
“I have made my position clear that if they can’t do anything for our demand (and if we join them) then there will be no difference between the Tipra and Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT which is BJP ally). We want to end the miseries of the 14 lakh indigenous population, not two-three ministerial berths,” he clarified.

He also tweeted later that "Tipra has not compromised".

On Sunday, the Tipra Motha had said it was ready to sit with the BJP for a "face-to-face meeting" to find a "constitutional solution" to Tiprasa people's problems, a day after Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also convener of the BJP-led NEDA (equivalent to NDA in the northeast), stated that the party's concerns should be addressed through dialogue.

A day later, he reiterated they will not be a part of any government "till the time we don't get an honourable constitutional solution for our people".

Maharaja Pradyot Bikram Debbarma, the sole heir to the 800-year-old Manikya dynasty in Tripura - the last princely state to merge with India - has been fighting for a homeland for the state's tribal natives. And, to some extent he won his first battle, albeit a political one, with his party Tipra Motha, which was born in 2021 itself, finishing just behind the BJP in its debut outing this election.
It gave the saffron party a run for its money in the 20 tribal-reserved seats, for the second time in less than two years, riding the tribal statehood demand.

In the year of its birth, Motha had swept the tribal autonomous council election, defeating the BJP, Congress and Left in one go.
“We are the second largest party so we will sit in the constructive opposition but will not sit with CPM or Congress. We can sit independently. We will help the government as and when they need," the 'Bubagra' (king in tribal language Kokborok) said.

This time, Motha won 13 of the 20 tribal-reserved seats, while the BJP had to be content with six. The IPFT, which is also a tribal-based party and ally of BJP, managed to win just one.
(With inputs from agencies)
Watch Tripura: Hours after oath ceremony, Amit Shah meets Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarma