Home Minister Amit Shah will meet in New Delhi on Friday leaders of tribal-based parties of north-eastern states, including the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) ally the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
The IPFT, which resumed anti-CAA stir after a month, continued its sit-in at Khumulwng, headquarters of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), for the 11th day on Thursday.
In Shillong, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said he would lead a delegation of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) to meet Shah and urge him to promulgate the inner line permit (ILP) in remaining areas of the state.
The Meghalaya Assembly on December 19 unanimously adopted a resolution, requesting the Centre to promulgate the ILP. The resolution and the state gazette notification have been communicated to the Centre.
"We are in Delhi for the past few days, but are yet to meet the Home Minister due to his prior engagements outside Delhi. The meeting will be on Friday," JMACAB leader and Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) General Secretary Jagadhish Debbarma told IANS over phone from Delhi.
A four-member IPFT delegation, led by party chief Narendra Chandra Debbarma and General Secretary Mevar Kumar Jamatia left Agartala on Thursday to attend the meeting. Debbarma is Revenue and Fisheries Minister and Jamatia the Tribal Welfare and Forest Minister in Tripura.
The IPFT and the JMACAB and other tribal-based parties in Tripura have been demanding that the state be kept out of the CAA's ambit. Earlier on December 12, all the tribal-based Tripura parties had a meeting with the Union Home Minister.
The IPFT has been demanding since 2009 creation of a separate state for tribals by upgrading the TTAADC and inclusion of Kokborok, a tribal language, in the 8th schedule of the Constitution.
The TTAADC has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 sqkm area, home to over 12,16,000 people, 90 per cent of whom are tribals.
"At December 12 meeting, Shah said he would look into our issues after Christmas, or would hold another meeting with us. But nothing has happened," the IPFT chief said.
Before leaving for Delhi, Debbarma said despite the CAA and border management measures, including fencing, infiltration continue unabated. "The influx from Bangladesh has put a burden on our resources, demography and economy. It would further aggravate the joblessness," he said.
The Tripura Rajya Upajati Ganamukti Parishad (TRUGP), tribal front of the CPI-M, has been demanding that N-E states be kept out the CAA's purview.
NCPCR initiates action against Mehbooba Mufti for 'using school children for election campaign'
In a significant development, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Friday took cognisance of a report on 'X' accusing PDP President and Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat candidate Mehbooba Mufti of using school children for campaigning in the election.
PM Modi takes opposition to cleaners on EVMs, once again
Calling it a "historic day", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday lauded the Supreme Court's decision to dismiss a batch of petitions seeking mandatory cross-verification of the votes cast in Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) with Voter-Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips.
LS Poll: Over 1000 villagers did not cast vote; shows protest against bad road condition, improper drinking water facility
Over 1000 villagers of Maldapara of Gandacherra subdivision in Dhalai Tripura district on Friday boycotted the second phase of polling to East Tripura constituency and refrained from casting their vote as part of their agitation against bad condition of road in their village.
PM Modi roasts Cong, says former PM's video on 'priority for Muslims' demolishes its canards
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday stepped up his offensive on the Congress and said that his plainspeak on the party’s double standards has ruffled many feathers in the INDIA bloc, so much so, that they have launched a tirade at him for speaking the truth.
CBI recovers huge cache of arms, explosives from house of Shahjahan’s relative at Sandeshkhali
The CBI on Friday afternoon conducted a raid at the residence of a relative of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan at Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas District and seized a huge cache of firearms and explosives.
Tripura records 54.47% turnout recorded till 1 PM in 2nd phase polling to East
The second phase of polling for the East Tripura Parliamentary constituency is underway amid tight security coverage, while 54.47% voter turnout was recorded till 1 pm on Friday. Voting commenced at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm. Tripura recorded the highest turnout at 36.42 per cent till 11 am.
We will implement UCC in entire country, it is 'Modi ki Guarantee': Amit Shah
Assuring that it is a 'Modi ki Guarantee' (PM Modi's guarantee), Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the government led by the BJP will implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) across the country.
Should re-election be held with fresh candidates if NOTA gets a majority? SC issues notice to EC
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to examine a plea seeking directions to the Election Commission (EC) to frame guidelines or rules, if in any election, all the contesting candidates individually do not surpass NOTA.