Tripura regiol party sets condition for joining NEDA

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

AGARTALA, June 26: The regiol political party, Indigenous tiolist Party of Twipra in Tripura has accepted the proposal to join the North East Democratic Alliance, a joint platform of anti-Congress parties floated by BJP to expand its base in the region but sets condition for that.

“We are ready to join the alliance if they are ready to accept our main demand of creating a new state comprising the areas of Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council,” said rendra Chandra Debbarman, president of the party.

He admitted that they had received an invitation from the NEDA convenor cum the minister of newly formed BJP led government in Assam Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma. Vice-president Aghor Debbarma and general secretary Binoy Debbarma had attended the meeting in Guwahati on June 22 as representatives but refrained from making any commitment about joining the alliance.

Debbarma said they had discussed the issue and decided to accept the invitation to join the first convention of the organisation to be held in Guwahati on July 13 where the BJP’s tiol president Amit Saha was also expected to remain present.  “However, the formal joining in the alliance will depend on their acceptance of our demand,” he said.  The demand for a separate state has already created a controversy in Tripura as all other political parties considered it as ‘not feasible’. Even the state unit of the BJP refused to accept the demand and instead proposed a regiol council with more power.  The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) is comprised of two thirds of the state’s total geographical area and habituated by one third of its population.  Despite universal opposition the IPFT is determined to proceed with the demand and decided to observe August 13 as statehood demand day like previous years and announced that a big rally will be organised in Agartala to mark the day.