Demand for Greater Tipraland

In News

  • Demands for greater TIPRALAND rises in the ongoing elections preparations in Tripura.

About

  • The Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA Motha) chief Pradyot Kishore Debbarma has recently launched the party’s election manifesto for the upcoming Tripura Assembly polls, in Agartala.
  • TIPRA Motha is the newest political party in Tripura and is led by Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, the son of Tripura’s last king.
  • The party’s first electoral attempt in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections in 2021 was successful, securing 18 of 28 seats.
  • The demand for Greater Tipraland has polarized the relationship between the tribals and non-tribals in Tripura.

What is Greater Tipraland?

  • It is the area demanded by TIPRA Motha which aims to carve out a new state “Greater Tipraland” for the 19 indigenous tribes of Tripura under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.

  • While Articles 2 and 3 authorize the Parliament for creation of new states and alter the areas, boundaries or names of existing states from the territories of an existing state or states.
  • The new state would go beyond the TTAADC areas and include several other villages where the Tiprasa reside in large numbers.
  • TIPRA Motha plans to set up task forces to help with the linguistic, cultural, social, and economic development of Tiprasa living in other regions of the country and the world.

Genesis of the demand

  • The demand for Greater Tipraland is not a rehash of the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) demand for Tipraland in 2009.
  • The earlier demand was to carve out a separate state for the tribal population of Tripura from the TTAADC areas.
  • The present demand goes beyond the TTAADC areas and includes at least 36 more villages where the tribal population is in the range of 20 to 36%.

Tripura

  • Tripura is a state in northeastern India, bordered by Bangladesh to the north, south, and west, and the Indian state of Assam to the east.
  • The state covers an area of 10,486 square kilometers and has a population of over 4 million people, according to the 2011 Census of India.
  • The capital city of Tripura is Agartala, which is also the largest city in the state.
  • The official languages of Tripura are Bengali and Kokborok.
  • The state has a high literacy rate, with 87.75% of the population being literate, according to the 2011 Census.
  • Tripura is predominantly a rural state, with 83.14% of the population living in rural areas with diverse culture and rich history of art, music, and dance.
  • The economy of the state is largely dependent on agriculture and allied activities, with a significant proportion of the population engaged in agriculture.
  • Tripura is home to several indigenous communities, including the Tripuri, Reang, Jamatia, and Noatia tribes, who have their own distinct cultures and traditions.
  • Major tourist attractions in Tripura include the Ujjayanta Palace, Neermahal, and the Tripura Sundari Temple.

 

Source: TH

 
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