New Delhi, Sep 4: Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday held a meeting with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma amid differences between the two allies over an electoral understanding for the upcoming Village Committee polls and the regional party's demand for land rights for indigenous people.
BJP's Northeast coordinator Sambit Patra was also present at the nearly 90-minute meeting at Shah's residence, sources said.
The BJP and Tipra Motha have remained allies in the state government despite repeatedly clashing over tribal issues. Friday's meeting assumes significance as the two sides have been negotiating a possible seat-sharing arrangement for elections to 587 Village Committees under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), scheduled for September 28.
The TTAADC covers around two-thirds of Tripura's geographical area and is home to a large part of the state's indigenous population, making hold over tribal politics crucial for both parties.
Sources said Debbarma remained firm during the meeting on his demand for protection of land rights of indigenous people and received an assurance from the BJP leadership that the issue would be addressed. There was, however, no immediate official announcement on the contours of any electoral understanding between the two parties.
"Met Hon'ble Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah Ji in New Delhi today. During the meeting, Founder of Tipra Motha Party Maharaja Pradyot Manikya Ji and BJP North East Coordinator Sambit Patra Ji were also present," Saha said in a post on X.
"We had a fruitful and constructive discussion on matters of mutual importance and the development and welfare of the people of Tripura," he said.
Debbarma had on Wednesday said Tipra Motha would not enter into an alliance for the Village Committee elections without a written assurance on land rights for indigenous people in the Sixth Schedule areas.
The Village Committee elections are being held after a gap of 10 years. The polls, initially due in 2022, were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent legal complications.
Founded by Debbarma, the scion of Tripura's erstwhile royal family, Tipra Motha emerged as a major political force in the state's tribal belt after sweeping the TTAADC elections in 2021. It won 13 seats in the 60-member assembly in the 2023 elections, emerging as the second-largest party in the House and the principal opposition.
It subsequently joined the BJP-led government in March 2024 after signing a tripartite accord with the Centre and the Tripura government aimed at finding an "amicable solution" to issues concerning the state's indigenous people.
The accord covered a range of issues, including land and political rights, economic development, identity, culture and language. Relations between the allies, however, have remained strained, with Tipra Motha repeatedly accusing the Centre and the state government of failing to implement key provisions of the accord.
The differences intensified over the past year, with the two sides also trading charges following clashes involving their workers. The parties eventually contested the TTAADC elections earlier this year separately despite continuing to share power in the state government.
Tipra Motha won 24 of the 28 elected seats in the tribal council polls, dealing a major setback to the BJP, which has drawn much of its support in the state from Bengali Hindu voters, in the tribal belt.
