By Firstdespatch Desk Jan 09, 2023
Agartala, Jan 9 (FD) The opposition Congress in Tripura today said that there is a possibility of electoral alliance with Tipra Motha in the ensuing assembly elections, but ruled out the possibility of agreeing to the latter’s demand for a separate ‘Greater Tipraland’.
“We want to forge an alliance with Tipra Motha in the coming elections, but we cannot concede to their demand for a separate greater Tipraland. We can agree that more autonomy should be given to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC)”, President of the Tripura Pradesh Congress, Birajit Sinha said.
He said, the tribal council was created under sixth schedule by amending the constitution of the country, when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister of the country that time.
“We are in favour of more autonomy, but not separation of the state”, he said.
Tipra Motha was formed in February 2021 by the royal scion Pradyot Deb Barma after he quit the post of Congress president in 2019.
Deb Barma reiterated in several occasion that Tipra Motha would forge an electoral alliance with any party which gave assurance in writing that they concede the demand for separate ‘Greater Tipraland’.
Replying to a question, Sinha said, “I think no political party would concede to their demand for separate state”.
He said, BJP had also forged an alliance with IPFT before the last assembly elections, which had also demanded for separate state, but BJP did not agree to their demand.
In a separate question, he said, “Congress wants that all anti-BJP forces come to one platform to defeat the BJP. So, we have no problem of electoral understanding with CPI-M, but anything has not been finalized so far”.
In a joint appeal, in the last week of December, signed by CPI-M's Tripura state Secretary Jitendra Chowdhury, state Congress President Birajit Sinha and leaders of the CPI, the RSP, Forward Bloc and the CPI-ML demanded to the Election Commission to take proactive measure to conduct the election in a healthy democratic atmosphere and ensure the right to vote of the electors freely and fearlessly. FD JK