Bharatiya Janata Party ally and Tripura Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance Motha chief Pradyot Debbarma on Monday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding that the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill, 2019 be passed as early as possible.
The TIPRA Motha chief, along with his sister and Lok Sabha MP Kriti Singh Debbarma, also submitted a memorandum to the minister on its implementation.
The bill seeks to grant more financial, executive and administrative powers to tribal autonomous councils under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The proposed legislation was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in February 2019. It was referred to a standing committee, which flagged several concerns in a 2020 report. The bill has been pending since then.
The Sixth Schedule provides special protections to tribal populations by establishing autonomous development councils with the authority to legislate on matters such as land, public health, and agriculture. There are 10 councils: three each in Assam, Meghalaya, and Mizoram, and one in Tripura.
In the memorandum on Monday, Kriti Singh Debbarma said that the 125th Amendment held “tremendous potential” to enhance the administrative and financial autonomy of the Sixth Schedule areas. This would ensure more effective governance and development, she added.
“These amendments are crucial for addressing the unique challenges faced by our region, including socio-economic development, cultural preservation, and local self-governance,” the memorandum said. “By empowering the district and territorial councils, we will be taking a significant step towards fostering greater regional harmony and progress.”
Kriti Singh Debbarma urged Shah to expedite the process and bring the bill before Parliament at the earliest opportunity.
“The timely passage of this amendment will not only address the immediate concerns of the Sixth Schedule areas but also reinforce the commitment of the Central government towards inclusive and balanced development in our north-eastern states,” the memorandum added.
She also noted that the Centre in July had said that it would form a committee headed by Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai to resolve the issues that had been holding up the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill.
This came after the chiefs of all 10 tribal autonomous councils met Shah, The Hindu reported.
“I was encouraged by the positive response and the assurance you provided regarding swift action on this matter…This development has been widely reported in the media and has generated a wave of optimism among the people in our region,” Kriti Singh Debbarma added.
After submitting the memorandum, Pradyot Debbarma on social media said that he had also discussed issues related to the tripartite Tiprasa Accord and the fencing and the patrolling of the state’s boundaries with Bangladesh, apart from the 125th Amendment, at the meeting with Shah.
Earlier this year, the TIPRA Motha joined the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and also signed the tripartite agreement aimed at addressing the grievances of the state’s tribal community.
The agreement – signed by the Centre, the Tripura government and the TIPRA Motha – on March 2 aimed to resolve the problems of the tribal community in the state relating to land and political rights, economic development, identity, history, culture and language.
“He [Shah] will be visiting Tripura during the month of December and has taken keen interest to resolve outstanding issues relating to the problems do the indigenous people of our state and region,” Pradyot Debbarma added on Monday.
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