Ahead of bypolls, Congress to begin membership drive in tribal hamlets of Tripura

Congress state president Asish Kumar Saha said, “A meeting has been called on August 22 at the Congress office from where the membership drive will start in different tribal belts of the state. The process will be offline."

The decision to start a membership drive came a day after the state unit of Congress organised a tribal conference at Muktadhara auditorium to celebrate the World Indigenous Day. (File photo)

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Days after the Assembly bypolls were announced in the Dhanpur and Boxanagar seats, the Tripura unit of Congress Thursday said it will soon start a membership drive in the tribal hamlets across the state from August 22.

While the Dhanpur seat fell vacant after Pratima Bhowmick, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, resigned to retain her Lok Sabha membership, the Boxanagar constituency fell vacant after CPIM or Legislator Shamsul Haque passed away due to cardiac arrest in July. The bypolls will be held on September 5.

Congress state president Asish Kumar Saha said, “A meeting has been called on August 22 at the Congress office from where the membership drive will start in different tribal belts of the state. The process will be offline.”

He added that the BJP could not pass the 125th amended Bill even after being in power for nine years. Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh had introduced the draft of the Bill in Parliament nearly 12 years ago.

Saha said, “Empowerment under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, direct funding, introduction of the three-tier panchayat system in the indigenous areas etc are included in the amended Bill.”

Saha added that the Tripura Adivasi Congress has proposed to demonstrate in Delhi in December to raise the issue. “The Adivasi Congress will take initiatives to make the demonstration a success,” Saha said.