A National Register of Citizens (NRC) must be introduced in the northeast Indian state of Tripura to protect the rights of the “minority” indigenous population from Bangladeshi nationals, tribal-based political parties have said.
Jagadish Debbarma, the general secretary of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), said his party has been fighting for a long time to protect the “culture, tradition, life and lingual identity” of the indigenous people of Tripura.
“Tripura should immediately introduce an NRC to identify foreign nationals settled in the state, and drive them out,” he said.
Jagadish was speaking on Thursday at an INPT event celebrating the 35th Autonomous District Council (ADC) Day at Mandai in Tripura.
“They (indigenous people) are under threat in the wake of continuous influx from Bangladesh after 1947 and 1971.
“A small state like Tripura provided shelter to Bangladeshi nationals in excess of its own population during the Liberation War of 1971.
“Henceforth, there has been no change in this trend and infiltration from Bangladesh has been on the surge. This has relegated the indigenous populace of Tripura to a minority.”
The INPT leader also declared that his party would demonstrate a mass movement on Aug 25, 2018 in support of a NRC.
Separately on Thursday, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) – a junior ally of the ruling BJP - organized a rally at Khumlung in West Tripura to mark Tipraland Statehood Demand Day.
At the program, Atul Bora, the agriculture minister of nearby Assam, offered his support to the introduction of a NRC in Tripura.
“The central government’s interest in socio-economic and linguistic development of the indigenous people is laudable, but NRC is the crying need for safeguarding the interest of the tribal populace,” he said.
Monday, March 17, 2025
