Tipra Motha Party to block National Highway 8 on February 28

Guwahati: Tipra Motha Party (TMP) has announced that it will block National Highway 8, the state's lifeline, on February 28 in protest against the Centre’s approach for non-implementing constitutional solutions of the tribals.

Main opposition party in Tripura, TMP is demanding 'Greater Tipraland' or a separate state for the tribals under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution, would blockade the NH-8 on Wednesday and the party’s supremo and former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Deb Barman would launch for a fast unto death hunger strike soon if the Centre does not accept his party's demands at the earliest.

Deb Barman, who returned here on Monday night after holding a meeting with the Home Ministry officials in Delhi, on Tuesday said that they are not ready to accept any verbal assurance and wanted a written assurance from the Centre towards their demands.


“What we asked for is according to the Indian constitution. We want fulfilment of the assurance given by the centre. We want the government to fulfil the tribals' constitutional and land rights related issues,” the TMP chief said.

Deb Barman on Monday held a meeting with the senior leader of the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) and Minister Sukla Charan Noatia and discussed the TMP’s demands and agitation.

The IPFT is the ally of the ruling BJP.Deb Barman announced that the roadblock agitation on the National Highway-8 on Wednesday would be held at Hatoi Katar (Baramura) and it would be non-partisan.

The TMP chief Deb Barman held a series of meetings with the Central government officials, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Tripura counterpart Manik Saha and senior BJP leaders for the past more than one year to fulfil the TMP's demands.

“I am ready to die for the cause of the tribals. My only target is to resolve the economic and constitutional problems of the tribals,” he said.

The TMP, in its maiden electoral battle, fielded 42 candidates, including 20 on tribal reserved seats, in the last year's Assembly polls, and bagged 13 seats.