Agartala, March 14: The Twipra Students Federation on March 14 called on all political parties in Tripura to nominate candidates from indigenous communities in the upcoming elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), stating that such representation is essential to preserve the spirit of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
Addressing a press conference in Agartala, TSF vice president John Debbarma said the organisation wanted to convey a clear message to political parties and the public about the need for proper representation in the autonomous council.
Debbarma said the organisation had examined the candidate list released by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and observed that no indigenous candidate had been fielded. He urged all parties to nominate candidates from tribal communities to ensure the council truly reflects the interests of indigenous people.
He appealed to major political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Tipra Motha Party, Indian National Congress and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura to field indigenous candidates in the elections.
According to Debbarma, the Sixth Schedule was introduced to safeguard the cultural identity, political rights and administrative autonomy of indigenous communities, and the absence of tribal candidates could weaken that objective. He said the TSF was particularly concerned about reports that the CPI(M) had fielded non-indigenous candidates, which the organisation believes could affect proper representation within the council.
The TSF leader also expressed opposition to the proposal for a Tripura Territorial Council. Instead, he reiterated the organisation’s demand for the creation of a Tipraland Autonomous Council.
Referring to the report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Debbarma said the proposed name should clearly include the term “autonomous” to align with the intent of the Sixth Schedule. He said the use of the term Tripura Territorial Council could misrepresent the constitutional framework and stressed that the name Tipraland Autonomous Council should be reflected in the Constitution (125th Amendment) Bill.
