Tripura parties oppose Citizenship Amendment Bill

FROM A Correspondent

Agartala, Jan 16 : Three tribal based regiol parties have come together to form an alliance ostensibly to create presser on the BJP leadership who are not showing any interest about them and trying to increase their own organization in the hilly areas of the state.

Opposing the proposed amendment of the Citizenship Act was the immediate issue that brought the parties together who confronting each other over various issues.

They have also called a 12-hour bandh in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council on February 8.

The leaders of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Twipra, the Indian tiolist Party of Tripura and the tiol Conference of Tripura in a joint press conference announced the decision.

They also floated a new front called All Tripura Indigenous Party’s Forum.

President of the IPFT N C Debrma has become the convener of the forum while the general secretaries of the INPT and the NCT Jagadish Debbarma and Animesh Debbarma were selected as joint convener.

They said the fear of being further margilized in their own land if the proposed amendment of the Citizenship Act is passed is the immediate reason for their coming together. However, they did not rule out extending its activities up to the election.

The regiol parties specially the IPFT and the INPT were exploring the possibilities of forming an alliance with the BJP for last two years. Their delegations visited Delhi on several occasions but the party in power was not showing any interest.

The recent initiative by the BJP leaders to extend their organizatiol activities and strengthening their organizatiol base seem to have forced them to go together.