The Tripura Assembly on Saturday passed a motion seeking increase of seat in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (ADC) from 28 to 50 with an aim to expedite the pace of development of indigenous communities of the state.
The motionwas passed without the presence of the opposition in the assembly.
Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had passed the ADC formation bill under the sixth schedule of the Constitution in 1983 with 28 members.
Variouspolitical parties, including Congress, had been demanding the increase in ADCseats to 50.
The rulingBJP legislator Arun Chandra Bhowmik moved the private member resolution in thehouse seeking 50 seats in ADC in view of the population growth, administrativeexpansion and development in tribal areas.
BJP MLASushanta Choudhury, while supporting the motion criticized the left front forits negative attitude towards tribals.
He further stated that the CPI (M) MPs abstained from voting when the ADC bill was tabled in the Parliament. Despite repeated requests, the CPI (M) government did not hand over many departments to the ADC in Tripura. As a result, the development of tribal people in Tripura suffered.
Supporting the motion, Tribal Welfare Minister and IPFT General Secretary Mevar Kr Jamatia said that the state government had no objection to the demands of increasing the ADC seats, rather it had been persuading the Centre for granting more autonomy to the tribal districts.
He also informed that the BJP-IPFT government has sent a proposal of over Rs. 8000crore to the Centre for the development of ADC, which has been primarily granted and accepted.
