One North East Alliance: Unifying Indigenous Voices Across Northeast India

Debbarma recently announced that a major rally will take place in Agartala on Thursday.

Approximately one month after several northeastern parties declared the formation of the One North East political alliance to unify the region's voice, Tipra Motha Party leader Pradyot Kishore Debbarma stated on Saturday that the coalition has achieved significant progress and could transform indigenous politics at both regional and national levels.

Debbarma, whose party is currently allied with the BJP in Tripura, indicated that the platform has gained considerable momentum following a productive meeting attended by leaders representing Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, and Tripura.

He further revealed plans for a large-scale rally at Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala on Thursday, which will feature the participation of various regional leaders, including Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.

"We are progressing toward creating a new concept for the northeast that will represent the entire region from a unified perspective," he explained.

Pradyot refuted suggestions that Tipra Motha would merge with Sangma's National People's Party (NPP), emphasizing that the aim is to establish a common platform while preserving individual party identities.

"We have consistently maintained that our objective is to develop a new identity - one that emerges when different organizations collaborate to form a collective vision. This does not involve merging into a single party or surrendering our individuality. We are taking definitive steps to cooperate and speak with one voice. No one seeks to erase anyone's identity. Rather, we aim to strengthen each other so we can stand on a shared foundation and speak as one," he affirmed.

The Tipra Motha leader mentioned that the collaborative process includes discussions about a new common identity, ideology, policy, name, and even flag, emphasizing that the concerns of the people must be prioritized over political designations. "The challenges facing the people are more significant than having a signboard," he noted.

Debbarma contended that a unified position would compel New Delhi to pay greater attention to indigenous communities' concerns. "Delhi doesn't have time to meet with ten representatives from different states expressing the same concerns. If we present a unified voice for everyone, then Delhi will be obliged to listen to us," he stated, adding that leaders throughout the region have consistently raised common demands such as land rights and Inner Line Permits (ILP), but have done so independently.