Erstwhile Tripura's Left government could not see beyond red, Swaraj Kaushal on Bru repatriation pact

Alluding to the delay by the erstwhile Left government in taking steps to repatriate Bru refugees in Tripura, former Mizoram Governor Swaraj Kaushal on Sunday said that they lacked national perspective and could not see beyond 'red'.

Kaushal, who served as the Governor of Mizoram between 1990 and 1993, told ANI in an exclusive interview: "The problem with red is that they just see red or black. They do not go beyond red. If there is a cadre and voter, there is compassion. It requires a foresight. The state government, unfortunately, did not have a national perspective."

The comments came in the backdrop of the signing of an agreement between the Central government and the governments of Tripura and Mizoram and Bru-Reang representatives under which around 34,000 internally displaced people will be settled in Tripura.

The refugees would get all rights that normal residents of the states get and they would now be able to enjoy the benefits of social welfare schemes of Centre and state governments.

"These people are on the border and are the first line of defence. I am happy that the government has come forward. It has kept in view the national security and kept human pain in mind. It is an agreement of compassion," Kaushal further said.

The Brus are spread across Tripura, Mizoram and parts of southern Assam and are ethnically different from the Mizos, with their own distinct language and dialect. They had demanded an Autonomous District Council (ADC), under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution, in western Mizoram.

In 1997, following ethnic tensions, around 5,000 families comprising around 30,000 Bru tribals were forced to flee Mizoram and seek shelter in Tripura. These people were housed in temporary camps at Kanchanpur in North Tripura.

Since 2010, the Central government has been making sustained efforts to permanently rehabilitate these refugees. The Centre has been assisting the two-state governments of Mizoram and Tripura for taking care of the refugees. Till 2014, 1,622 Bru families returned to Mizoram in different batches.

On July 3, 2018, an agreement was signed between the Central government, the two-state governments and representatives of Bru refugees, as a result of which the aid given to these families was increased substantially.

Subsequently, 328 families comprising 1,369 individuals returned to Mizoram under the agreement. There had been a sustained demand of most Bru families that they may be allowed to settle down in Tripura, considering their apprehensions about their security.