INPT threatens to relaunch movement against CAA in Tripura

The Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura(INPT), a regional party of the state, Monday threatened to relaunch its movement against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) if the state is not exempted from the purview of the controversial act.

INPT is a dominant partner of the Joint Movement Against Citizenship Amendment Bill (JMACAB), a conglomeration of different regional parties and NGOs and is led by Pradyot Kishore Devburman, the grandson of Tripura's last king Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya.

JMACAB had held a three-day strike in Tripura till December 11 against the Citizenship Amendment Bill but had withdrawn it on December 12 last after its delegation met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi.

INPT general secretary Jagadish Debbarma Monday said during the meeting in Delhi the body had placed the demand for keeping Tripura out of the purview of the CAA.

Shah had assured to look into the concerns of the indigenous people of Tripura and asked us to come back to us. We are still waiting for his reply, but it cannot be for an unlimited period. We will launch our movement again, he told reporters.

The Citizenship Amendment Bill was passed by the Parliament on December 11.

Debbarma said in the meantine JMCAB constituents will meet soon and decide its future course of action.

He said, due to repeated migration from the then East Pakistan after partition and later from Bangladesh the indigenous people of the state who were once in the majority have been reduced to minority.

We are not in a position to take the burden of people from another country, so we must launch stringent democratic movement against implementation of CAA in Tripura, he said.

According to the amended Act, non-Muslim refugees who escaped religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and moved to India before December 31, 2014, will be granted Indian citizenship.