Tripura parties in dilemma over bandh

From A Correspondent

Agartala, Jan 27 : Tribal politics in Tripura is getting tensed as established political parties seem to be in a dilemma over the 12 hour strike in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council on February 8.

The Bandh call was given by three tribal based political parties the Indigenous People’s Front of Twipra (IPFT), the Indigenous tiolist Party of Tripura (INPT) and the tiol Conference of Tripura (NCT) to protest against the proposed amendment of the citizenship act. The three parties were fighting each other over various issues but formed a common platform to oppose the proposed amendment. The prospect of this platform converting into an electoral alliance has landed all other political parties into a dilemma.

The ruling CPI(M) and its tribal wing the Tripura Upajati Gamukti Parishad (GMP) said they are also against the proposed amendment to give citizenship on the basis of religion. They argued in favour of maintaining the Indira-Mujib pact that fixed March 24, 1971 as cut off date for determining citizenship. However, their dilemma over opposing the bandh which they never oppose as a means of protest was evident as they could not place any acceptable argument over their stand. They used diatribes like the three parties united to disunite the state but could not say if a bandh over such an issue is justified or not. Going one step ahead the GMP president Jiten Choudhury, MP accused the three parties for conspiring to disturb the peace prevailing in the state.

The bandh call seems to have landed the BJP leaders into a state of confusion. The proposed amendment is the brain child of their party. So they opposed the bandh but could not come out strongly in support of the amendment considering the future prospect of an alliance with these tribal parties.

Biplab Deb, state president of the BJP in a press conference opposed the bandh but could not openly come out in support of amendment. He only said the amendment is still in scent stage and at this stage a bandh is not justified.

The Congress and Trimool Congress which are also exploring the possibilities of alliance with the tribal parties is yet to take any stand over the issue.