Tripura CM slams state's previous Left Front Govt for 'failing to resolve' Reang Tribal Crisis
Agartala (The Uttam Hindu): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday criticized the previous Left Front government for its inability to resolve the 23-year-long Reang tribal issue in the state highlighting the significant efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in finally addressing the longstanding problem. Speaking at a function held at Kulai RF Village Ground in Dhalai District, Saha stated that the issue of internally displaced Reang tribals remained unresolved for over two decades under the Left Front's rule which spanned nearly 35 years in two phases: 1978 to 1988 and 1993 to 2018. He added that it was only through the dedication of Modi and Shah that the issue has been resolved. "The Central and state governments are taking the necessary steps to ensure the proper rehabilitation of the displaced Reang tribals," said Saha. During the event Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated six development projects and laid the foundation stones for seven projects worth about Rs 668.39 crore, aimed at improving the state's infrastructure.
Saha further emphasized that under the Left Front's 35 years of governance, the Reang tribals lived in dire conditions for 23 years, and it was only after the intervention of the central leadership that this ethnic crisis was addressed. He also thanked the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for their roles in resolving the issue. The Chief Minister explained that rehabilitation efforts for the displaced Reang tribals have been made in 12 locations across the state. "Work has been completed in 11 locations, and the remaining work in Shantir Bazar (in South Tripura) is almost finished," he said. The resettlement agreement, signed between the Central government, the Tripura government, the Mizoram government, and Reang tribal leaders would be fully implemented.
To date, 1,754 acres of land have been allocated for the resettlement, and 6,935 families (comprising 37,584 individuals) have been rehabilitated. Necessary facilities such as electricity connections, brick-paved roads, deep tube wells for purified drinking water, ration shops, Anganwadi centres, schools, and primary health centres have been provided. Initially, Rs 500 crore was allocated for the rehabilitation project, but with the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the expenditure has reached Rs 821.98 crore. The Reang tribals, also known as Bru, had migrated from Mizoram between 1997 and 2009 following ethnic conflicts in the neighboring state. After years of protests and negotiations, a quadripartite agreement was signed on January 16, 2020 between the Centre, the Tripura and Mizoram governments and Reang tribal leaders to resettle the 37,584 tribal immigrants in 12 locations across four districts of Tripura: North Tripura, Dhalai, Gomati and South Tripura.
