What is Greater Tipraland?

Greater Tipraland is a region in Tripura. Several tribals are demanding to make the region as a separate state.

What is the issue?

There are 19 notified Scheduled Tribes in Tripura. Among these, 5.92 lakh are Tripuris, 1.88 lakh are Reangs. These three tribal groups are the major tribals in the state. Some of the minor tribal groups have joined hands and formed TIPRA Motha (Tirpaha Indigenous Regional Alliance) and IPFT (Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura) political parties. These parties are now arguing that they want a separate state for their “survival and existence”.

Constitutional Validity in the issue

They claim that they are making the demand under Article 2 and Article 3 of the constitution. Article 2 of the constitution says that “The Parliament shall permit the establishment of new states and union territories and also permit the entry of new states and UTs into the Indian Union”. Article 3 says that “Parliament shall increase or diminish the area of a state”.

Why did the issue come into picture?

Tripura was ruled by Manikya dynasty since the late 13^th century till it signed the Instrument of Accession with the Government of India in 1949. Instrument of Accession is the document signed by the Indian states to enter into Union of India after independence. In due course, some of the indigenous tribes in the region have become minority in the state. This happened mainly because of the displacement of the Bengalis from East Pakistan during 1971 war. In 1881, the tribal population in the state was 63.77%. It reduced to 31.8% in 2011.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2021