Nagendra Jamatia, the veteran tribal leader who brokered peace with the insurgent Tripura National Volunteers (TNV) in 1988, passed away on Monday. He was 71 and is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
Family members said Mr Jamatia had been unwell for the past few years suffering from health complications for past few years.
Congress minister
Mr Jamatia, who was admired for his writing and people connect, was a minister in the Congress-led coalition government for five years from 1988.
The leader of Tripura Upajati Juba Samity (TUJS), now known as the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (INPT), Mr Jamatia is best known for his success in bringing TNV supremo Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl to the negotiating table with the Centre. His efforts culminated in the peace accord signed at New Delhi in presence of Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Mr Jamatia later said the entire exercise of dialogue with the TNV had to be kept top secret under instruction from New Delhi and became public only after the signing of the accord. Only then Chief Minister Sudhir Ranjan Majumder was in the loop, apart from him.
Mr. Hrangkhawl, who is now president of the INPT nurtured by Mr Jamatia, offered his condolences at the leader’s home. Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, his cabinet colleagues and prominent personalities expressed grief at Mr. Jamatia’s demise..
