Friday 12 February 2016

The Demand and the Constitution of India


The Chief Minister of Tripura Mr. Manik Sarkar held public meeting on 11th February,2016 at Damcherra (near Tribal Rest house) in view of the ensuing General Election to the TTAADC Village Committees-2016. The speech of Mr. Sarkar was  reported in the local daily “Pratibadi Kalam” on 12th February, 2016. The meeting was amongst others attended by Shri Rajendra Reang, Executive Member and Member of Tripura Legislative Assembly; Shri Rajendra Reang, Member of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council and veteran local communist leader Mr. Gandhasingh Rupini. The Chief Minister appealed the people of the area to prevent the youths from  falling in to Tipraland Trap. Mr. Sarkar alleged that the Congress, Tripura Upajati Juba Samity(TUJS) which is presently Indigenous National Party of Tripura(INPT), Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura(IPFT) and Tipraland State Party(TSP) were corrupt and looted the public fund when in power. It is noteworthy that Tipraland State Party(TSP) has been formed in October, 2015 was never in any way form any sort of Government or local self Government till date.  This political party has been formed with sole objective of a demand on elevation of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council(TTAADC) in to a full fledged “Tipraland” State under Article 2 & 3 of the Constitution of India due one reason that the Tipperahs including other 18 tribes have been reduced to microscopic minority and facing extinction for the reasons that  about 824000 refugees sheltered in Tripura ( erstwhile name Tipperah ) since India attained independence on 15th August, 1947 and till 1971. It is to be noted that Tripura merged with India on 15th October, 1949. The intrusion from erstwhile East Pakistan which is presently Bangladesh continues uninterrupted day till date. If these trends of intrusion continue, one could be rest assured the sons of the soil will certainly extinct from the face of this planet earth.

Mr. Sarkar, the Chief Minister of Tripura further said, “ 184 Kings of Tripura who belongs to the same race did do anything for the development of his people or subjects”. The most important fact is even if one concludes for a logic that the kings did nothing for his subjects ( although many things were done ) but they left a territory for his subjects to live on even though the kingship was no more. A demarcated territory is a mandatory component for any particular race that they should claim for their identity which the 184 kings had given to his subjects. The refugees who  had been sheltered following the partition of India and until birth of Bangladesh; is in Tripura(Tipperah). Yet Mr. Manik Sarkar could make a such proposition that 184 kings of Tripura did nothing for his subjects. The kings of Tripura handed down a territory for his subjects which had also sheltered wretched refugees of East Bengal which became East Pakistan after partition of India and sheltered even who turn to be refugees as the birth of Bangladesh took place. The soil on which Mr. Manik Sarkar is stepping on is of 184 kings of Tripura. Let us imagine for a moment that there was no sovereign country called Tipperah or Tripura in the past and no kings ruled over it. As a principle of partition of India in 1947, Would it be with Pakistan or India? Remember that this is an imagination. The people of Chittagong Hill Tracts wanted to be with India but Redcliff Commission had made it with Pakistan in spite of the fact that 97% of the population of it was non-Muslims  at the time of Partition of India. Therefore, imagination of not having ruled over Tripura or non-existence of Tripura did not ensure Tripura would be with India. If Tripura would have been part of Pakistan, it would have been part of Bangladesh today. These wretched refugees would not have found a place like Tripura for a shelter. The people of Tripura who were sons of soil had also demanded their rehabilitation on humanitarian ground. The demand for Tipraland State has been termed by the Chief Minister Mr. Manik Sarkar as Tipraland Trap. Why should it be called a trap? Is not the demand in conformity with the Article 2 and 3 of the Constitution of India? It is Constitutional without any iota of doubt. Then why is it called a trap? Are we not citizen of India to demand Tipraland under the Constitution? This tentamounts that  members of   Communist Party of India ( Marxist ) do not have faith in the Constitution. They intend to usher gradually the sons of soil of Tripura in to extinction. The extinction of the race Tipperah including other 18 tribes be ascertained first and then development activities can take place for them even later. When extinction is endangering them the development activities can hardly take place. It is to be noted that development activities can not prevent extinction. The example of Andaman where development activities have taken place but the sons of soil like Jarwa and Bo are extict for which neither CPI(M), INC or BJP nor any other regional parties have any political agenda so that they will not extinct. No political party or organization will do it. It is  for a few committed members of the extinct races/tribes who should come forward for their own rescue. The political parties come for their political gains but not for prevention of extinction of a race for extinction is not in their political agenda. 

Communist Party of India (Marxist) is against the Demand for Tipraland for race and tribes who are struggling for their existence and the demand is within the parameter of the Constitution of India. The Chief Minister of Tripura made a statement in the floor of the Tripura Legislative Assembly on 8th January, 2016, “ Tipraland is not unconstitutional”. It is constitutional because the provision under Article 2 & 3; is already there. Tipraland is not unconstitutional just because Mr. Manik Sarkar, Chief Minister, stated in the floor of Tripura Legislative Assembly. The provision is within the framework of the Constitution of India. It sounds as if the Chief Minister stated, it is there in the constitution. It is there in the Constitution of India right from the Constitution of India that was adopted and dedicated to the nation on 26th January, 1950. The Communist Party of India  (Marxist) including the Chief Minister, Tripura have been campaigning against Tipraland Demand since 2009 from the year in which it was began. Their campaign is – the demand is of “separatists”; “communals” and against “social integration and communal harmony”. Who are separatists? Those who demand to secede a territory from Indian Union  are secessionists. The demand for elevation of TTAADC to Tipraland under Article 2 and 3 within the framework of Indian Constitution  can not be defined as separation from Indian Union as it is not establishing a sovereign country. It has to be passed by the both houses of the Indian Parliament. The Parliament is the authority to grant statehood not the Tripura Legislative Assembly. The land in Tripura is the land of the Government of India; the power and legislative authority as conferred by the Constitution of India. Why are people who demand it termed to be communal? As many as 31 States are there in India. They had been granted statehood according to the same provision of the Constitution. In all other cases, the communality cards are not played. The demand for statehood is the Tipperahs and other tribes are facing extinction. This is on question of extinction. The people of the said  communities are raising their voices but to suppressed them a conspiracy is hatched and communal cards are being surfaced by carefully to distance them from their legitimate demand on Tipraland State. The Government of India has a responsibility to protect the dying(extinct) communities as Tripura merged with India for all aspects protection from extinction. Tripura State did not merge on 15th October, 1949 by signing agreements which would lead them to extinct. The sons of soil were un-communal as they had demanded the rehabilitation of refugees whey were wandering for a shelter. Communality has no place in Tipperah societies. Like any other races and tribes in India ; there should be space for empowering them with self-governance under the Article 2 and 3 of the constitution of India. Terming and branding them as “Separatists”; “Communals” is a conspiracy in preventing their democratic rights and fundamental rights under the Constitution. It leads to the connotation that they have been reduced to second class citizen of India which the Tipperahs and other tribes do not consider that such thing is not taking place in India and they have full faith in the Constitution.   Every cloud has a silver lining.

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