Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Monday said his government has been putting in all efforts for fulfilling the socio, political and economic aspirations of the indigenous people of the state.
Urging the tribal people to repose faith in the present BJP-IPFT dispensation for their welfare, he said a Rs 1,295-crore project for their overall development is under consideration of the World Bank.
Saha, also the state BJP president, alleged that the development works were ignored in tribal-dominated areas during the erstwhile Left Front regime in the state.
“The Left Front, which had ruled the state for 35 years in two phases, had used tribal people as vote bank to remain in power. They followed the divide and rule policy as the British did in the pre-Independence era and continued to rule the state for several years”, he said during a BJP program in Gomati district’s Karbook subdivision.
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Saha asserted that “insurgency was earlier created in the state” and the Left Front “ruled the tribal people suppressing their aspirations”. “Everybody knows 3,000 people both from tribal and non-tribal were killed during the infamous 1980 ethic riots in Tripura. The development works such as the construction of roads, electricity, and healthcare facilities had suffered in tribal-dominated areas severely during the communist regime,” he said.
He also urged the tribal people to support the BJP, instead of any regional political party. “Take the side of the BJP, a national party, which will fulfill your socio, economic and political aspirations”, he said referring to tribal people.
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Claiming that the BJP-IPFT government has been pushing development work on a fast track, Saha said the state has already sent a proposal to the Centre for converting Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) into Tripura Territorial Council.
"Besides, a proposal for increasing the number of seats in the tribal council from 30 to 50 has been sent in a bid to ensure proper representation of all the ethnic tribes," he said. The chief minister also highlighted efforts for solving the 23-year-old Bru refugee problem.
“The Centre, the state, and refugee leadership had inked an agreement for resettlement of around 8,000 Bru people who had deserted Mizoram due to ethnic flare-up in 1997. About 3,500 Bru families have already been resettled while the remaining refugees will be given the facility within the stipulated time,” he said. The government has set a target for rubber plantation, spreading 30,000 hectares of land, under the Chief Minister Rubber Mission, and the scheme is designed for the welfare of the tribal people, he added.
Saha also said 16 Eklavya Model Residential schools would come up in the tribal areas.
