Agartala: Former Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Deb Barman on Tuesday announced the name of a new organisation — The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) — ahead of the Autonomous District Council (ADC) elections next year.
Speaking with reporters, Deb Barman said that there are speculations being made that he would launch his own political party but in reality he has never thought of that.
“I have been listening to speculations that I would be opening a new political party which is not true. However, I am starting an organisation that will be known as ‘The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance’ or TIPRA. It is not a political party, rather it will be a social and cultural organisation which will work for the people of the indigenous community and for their rights,” Deb Barman said.
He also said that the decision to hold a peaceful movement against CAA starting January 8 next year was taken in a meeting held at Ujjayanta Palace with the indigenous leaders of the state.
“Union home minister Amit Shah had held a meeting with us in New Delhi but nothing concrete has come out of it yet. A notice was sent to the government, however, the case is pending in the Supreme Court. But I don’t think when a protest against the CAA is going on across the nation how can we sit and watch them,” Deb Barman added.
Deb Barman further said that they have decided to protest peacefully by not harming anyone or making the protest communal.
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Our protest is not against any community, language or religion. So, we are starting our movement from January 8 next year.
“January 8 was the day when, last year, during a peaceful protest by the Tripura Students’ Federation (TSF) in Madhavbari, the police had opened fire on them. Exactly a year later, on the same day now, we will start from that very same day,” Deb Barman added.
Speaking with EastMojo, TSF general secretary Sunil Debbarma said that the movement will begin from January 8 in Madhavbari and accordingly, the it will continue in all the districts and blocks one after another.
“Anyone can join this movement since it is a social organisation. Even indigenous leaders are allowed to join but only in a personal capacity and not as a political leader,”
Debbarma said.
