The Indigenous Nationalist Part of Twipra (INPT), the non-left major tribal based party in the state today expressed deep concern for not tabling a bill in the parliament for giving more autonomy to the tribal councils in the North Eastern region.
INPT general secretary Rajeshwar Debbarma said that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) assured a delegation of the party that a bill for extending more power to the autonomous district councils of Tripura, Mizoram, Assam and Meghalaya would be tabled in the winter session of the Parliament, but it was yet to be tabled.
"We want direct funding to the tribal councils of the region for speedy disbursement of money to the concerned authorities and full right of land in the council areas. Unless more power or autonomy is given to the councils development can not be ensured", Debbarma told PTI.
The party held a 5-hour long sit-in-demonstration here yesterday seeking more power for the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).
I NPT also wrote to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh earlier on February 01 seeking his intervention over empowerment of the district council.
A team of the party led by INPT president B K Hrangkhgawl met with Joint Secretary of Home Ministry- Sambhu Singh on December 31, 2013.
"We organized this sit-in- demonstration as a part of our continued movement on the demand of more power to the ADC. We shall raise severe mode of agitation if our demands are not met forthwith", he added.
Asked about his take on the separate statehood demands raised by smaller political outfits like the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) in Tripura, Debbarma said he didn't contribute to any such demands.
The TTAADC constitute two third of the state territory which is home to the tribals, who form one third of the population.
