IPFT starts discussion to finalise alliance with BJP in Tripura

Agartala, Jan 10: The tribal based opposition Indigenous Peoples’ Front of Tripura (IPFT) is deciding its election strategy including finalization of alliance with BJP keeping aside their demand of separate Twipraland for tribal in upcoming assembly election.

The executive committee of IPFT comprising of the leaders of 19 divisional committee leaders and 10 different wings leaders have attended the meeting began yesterday afternoon. 
The BJP though did not agree to the demand of Twipraland, they persuaded both Prime Minister and Home Minister for addressing the core issues of tribal of Tripura, Mr Debbarma said.
He stated that IPFT has reviewed their orgnaisational strength and found that IPFT alone could win at least 12 seats of 20 tribal reserved constituencies in 60 members’ house. However, IPFT has witnessed the rule of CPM and Congress in last four decades and realized their stand of development of tribal. So, decision will be taken based on realities as IPFT alone could not form the government in the sate and has to form alliance with others, he indicated.
“The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in our meeting in Delhi recently made commitment that the centre will constitute a committee to assess the socio-economic and cultural aspect of tribal communities of the state this week and to suggest time bound action plan for addressing those, which according to BJP leaders are the root of Twipraland demand comes up and we are waiting to see the formation of committee and it’s term of references,” Mr Debbarma said.
He pointed out that in the last meeting four months ago with Union Home Minister the same demand was raised to form a modalities committee for looking at the prospect of separate tribal land. However, it was not happened yet. Now in a different nomenclature central government agreed to form the committee and it was supposed to be notified by January 8 last but has not happened yet.
Mr Debbarma pointed out that IPFT has been fighting for separate Twipraland curving out the present geography of the state. He justified the demand that at present two-third areas of Tripura is under tribal autonomous district council (ADC) and there is no problem of any community in doing business, working or movement. So, there is no apprehension of any causality in form of non-tribal if Twipraland is formed.
“Unless separate entity is given there is no chance of the development of tribal in Tripura. The ADC is formed in 1982 under sixth schedule of the constitution – even after35 years tribal people of the state could able to develop because of the successive government of CPM and Congress. We want financial and administrative autonomy for the tribal of Tripura otherwise; there is no chance of meaningful development,” he argued.
On the other, BJP Tripura election in-charge and finance minister of Assam Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma reiterated his party stand and said since beginning BJP rank and file out rightly rejected Twipraland concept of IPFT. There is no chance of any alliance or adjustment with IPFT unless they agree to common minimum program setting aside separate tribal land issue, he stated.
He further argued that the proposed socio-economic and cultural affairs committee to be formed by the Centre would assess the present status of the tribal in Tripura and after detailed discussion with the stakeholders, the committee would suggest action plan to address those issues in a time bound manner.
“We tried to convince them why were they demanding Twipraland. The obvious response was development of tribal and more autonomy. If the development of tribal is achieved under proposed state council where is the problem? We made it clear that the core objectives of Twipraland are development of tribal at par with others and the proposed modal is well enough to achieve it. Now, the ball is in IPFT’s court to decide,” Sarma added. UNI