Second round of Tiprasa Accord talks in November: Pradyot seeks 25 seats in Tripura Assembly

Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, on October 23 announced that the second round of the Tiprasa Accord talks will take place in the third week of November in New Delhi.

He also mentioned that during the first talks held in September, he demanded the allocation of 25 seats for Tipra Motha out of the 60 seats in the Tripura Legislative Assembly, along with one reserved seat for the Manipuri community, among other demands.

In a Facebook Live session, Pradyot, who is also the royal scion of Tripura, shared the information, mentioning that some officials from the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) would be present during the talks this time. 

"Negotiating with the Government of India is very tough, and I have to set aside personal concerns. I haven’t diluted any of our demands, as doing so would weaken our position. Until we secure land rights, more seats in the Assembly, direct funding, a central university, and a hospital, I will not compromise. Politics shouldn’t be everything, because a commitment to the community is more important. If we want a better future, we must not play politics with our people," he said.

Pradyot revealed that in the last meeting, he had asked for 25 out of the 60 seats in the Tripura Legislative Assembly, direct funding, land rights, the inclusion of Kokborok and other native languages in the 8th Schedule, a reserved seat for the Manipuri community in the Tripura Assembly, a development board for tea gardens, a central tribal university, an AIIMS-like university, among other demands.

Additionally, Pradyot criticised the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPIM), saying that the party had ruled the state for 25 years.