Demand for Greater Tipraland in Tripura

Context

Recently, several tribal outfits in Tripura have joined hands to push their demand for a separate state called Greater Tipraland for indigenous communities in the region.

What are the demands?

• A separate state of ‘Greater Tipraland’ for the indigenous communities of the north-eastern state.
• They want the Centre to carve out a separate state under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.
• Greater Tipraland envisages a situation in which the entire Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTADC) area will be a separate state.
• Dedicated bodies to secure the rights of the Tripuris and other aboriginal communities living outside Tripura.

What is Greater Tipraland?

• Greater Tipraland is the extension of the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura's demand of Tipraland as a separate state for tribals. 
• This demand is said to involve each tribe residing in the indigenous area or village outside the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council. 
• This model is not restricted to Tripura Tribal Council Areas but also seeks to include Tiprasa of the Tripuris that are spread across Mizoram and Assam, Bandarban, Chittagong, Khagrachari too. 
• The demand would be placed in front of the Central Government in case the leaders are invited for talks. 
  • The demand for Greater Tipraland rose as the demands for revising the NRC in Tripra were unfulfilled. Take a look at the tribes in Tripura here. 

Why did the issue come into picture?

• Tripura was a kingdom ruled by the Manikya dynasty from the late 13th century until the signing of the Instrument of Accession with the Indian government on October 15, 1949.
• There is an anxiety among the indigenous communities in connection with the change in the demographics of the state due to the displacements from the erstwhile East Pakistan.
• From 63.77 per cent in 1881, the population of the tribals in Tripura was down to 80 per cent by 2011.
• In the intervening decades, ethnic conflict and insurgency gripped the state, which shares a nearly 860-km long boundary with Bangladesh.