Northeast political party protest in Tripura against Citizenship bill

A newly formed political platform comprising of six indigenous political parties of Tripura Wednesday organised a protest rally against the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) and the police attack on Twipra Students Federation at Madhavbari on January 8. The 'Committee for the movement against Citizenship Bill' comprises of representatives from INPT, IPFT (Tipraha), NCT, ST cell of Congress and Tripura United Indigenous Peoples Council (TUIPC) and Joint Action Committee of Civil Societies.

The protesters burnt an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the rally Tripuras royal scion, Pradyot Kishore Debbarman, was appointed the chairman of the newly formed committee, while Bijoy Hrankhawl, president of INPT will be the vice-president and Upendra Debbarma, former president of Twipra Student Federation the convener.

Addressing a rally of the tribals at Khumulwng, the headquarters of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous Territorial Council (TTAATC), Pradyot Kishore said, "the indigenous people of Tripura would not accept the bill as it would harm their interests. The bill must be scrapped or the movement would continue." He said 16 MLAs belonging to Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), who was an ally of BJP in Assam had resigned in protest against the bill.

"But it is surprising that not a single tribal MLA in the assembly in Tripura including the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of BJP in Tripura did not resign to protest against the bill. Those MLAs or the ministers might have forgotten the interests of the indigenous people of the state," he said. He condemned the police firing at Madhabbari, in West Tripura district on January 8 when members of the Twipra Student Federation (TSF) were protesting in which six students received bullet injuries.