Tripura tribal party to support BJP in polls
AGARTALA:After months of uncertainty, the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) has decided to tie pre-electoral alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party against the Left Front government in the state.
“We decided to form a pre-poll alliance with BJP to fight the CPM. We would request the BJP to sit for discussion to resolve our understanding, seat-sharing and other matters. However, one of our demands is to pass the bill to empower Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council economically in the coming winter session,” said INPT chief BK Hrankhawl after the meeting held at Agartala Press Club on Saturday evening.
The party’s other demands are the inclusion of Kokborok in Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, 50% reservation for indigenous people in the Assembly and few others as decided in the meeting, he said, and added that his party is not in favour of the separate statehood demand.
The party rejected the proposal to be part of a grand-alliance with Congress, which it termed as a ‘sinking ship’, losing the main opposition tag to BJP.
Interestingly, the party had forged an alliance with Congress in the 2013 Assembly elections. The BJP, however, didn’t confirm the development. “We heard the decision of INPT to support us. From our side, our party’s central committee will have the last word,” said BJP state president Biplab Deb. BJP, which had no presence in the northeastern region till a few years ago, has made its mark and formed governments in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur and coalition governments in Nagaland and Sikkim.
The party is eyeing similar success in Tripura, Meghalaya and Mizoram, where polls are due in 2018.