Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma announced on Saturday an indefinite hunger strike starting February 28 in support of the demand for constitutional solutions for the problems of indigenous people of Tripura.

 “I have been waiting in Delhi for the last 10 days to meet with the representatives of the Central Government. We also waited last year. A K Mishra (representative of the Central Government) had also visited Agartala,” he said.

“All the Samajhpatis, the returnees of ATTF, leaders of IPFT and Tipra MOTHA, along with representatives of the BJP, also shared their views with him. He had listened to our views and demands two times. I had also personally met him many times,” he said.

“Everyone is saying that it will be done, but when will it be done? We have no choice but to say that it will be done to the poor people but when?” he added.

“Till there is no constitutional solution, we will be forced to deal with various matters, like writing in another script,” Debbarma said.

 He said that 95 per cent of the people are indigenous in the state of Tripura only. “Till now, they don’t have their land, not any land patta. All are residing in the forest land, which is government land (Khaas land)”.

 “It needs a permanent solution,” he added.

 “There is also a matter of funding in ADC areas; 35 per cent of people in Tripura reside in the TTADC and only get 2 per cent of the budget from the state annual budget, which will solve all these problems,” he added.

“For all these matters, I had asked for a constitutional solution. If they are not bringing the same, then there is no way left for me, I will move towards HATAIKITOR, I am ill. But sometimes Kings also had to leave his palace to solve issues of people,” he added.

 “So I will be on fast from February 28th until I get something respectable either from the BJP or Congress because nobody has thought about the indigenous people, so whoever is willing to help us, we will talk to them,” he added.