Agartala: The BJP-IPFT government in Tripura received a jolt on Friday after the sixth MLA of the ruling front resigned from the assembly and announced to join shortly in royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman’s party TIPRA Motha.
The IPFT MLA from the Raima Valley constituency of Dhalai district Dhananjoy Tripura accompanied by Pradyot and a few other TIPRA leaders met the Speaker Ratan Chakraborty in the afternoon and submitted his resignation from the MLA post citing personal grounds without giving any details.
The Speaker, however, said that he will take the decision after due formalities and scrutiny. Dhanjoy’s resignation has reduced the strength of the government to 41 in 60 members’ house just ahead of the assembly elections slated in February next year.
A year ago, IPFT legislator of Simna constituency Brishaketu Debbarma resigned and joined Motha. At present, IPFT strength is reduced to six and BJP has 35 MLAs.
TIPRA Motha sources said that former minister of Biplab Kumar Deb’s cabinet and General Secretary of IPFT, sitting MLA Mevar Kumar Jamatia along with three other MLAs are all set to desert IPFT and join Motha.
Never held a meeting with Pradyot on Thursday night.
The majority of IPFT MLAs and leaders have been opposing its president and Revenue Minister N C Debbarma for his proximity with BJP and his reluctance to pursue the core demand of IPFT, based on which they had an alliance prior to the 2018 assembly elections, IPFT sources claimed to add that N C Debbarma has planned to merge IPFT with BJP before next elections what other didn’t agree.
Three weeks ago, BJP legislator from 43-Karbook (ST) Constituency Burba Mohan Tripura tendered his resignation from the assembly and joined royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman’s TIPRA Motha.
The BJP MLA from Karamcherra D C Hrangkhal is reportedly joining Congress after its president’s election will over, sources in BJP said.
Meanwhile, Pradyot Kishore Debbarman indicated that a few more tribal MLAs of BJP and IPFT have been in touch with TIPRA Motha and would join the party very soon. He claimed that BJP had committed to consider IPFT’s demand of Tipraland before forging an alliance but, in the last four and half years it remained a dream.
“We don’t know the party identity, Motha is a platform which has been fighting for the constitutional solution of the rights and autonomy of the indigenous communities of Tripura,” Pradyot said.
Tripura Pradesh Congress President Birjit Sinha while welcoming the decision of Dhanjoy said, “Many BJP MLAs would join Congress in coming days and indications are very clear that BJP would not complete its full tenure because of violence, corruption, and vendetta politics of its leaders.”
Earlier, three BJP MLAs -Sudip Roybarman, Asish Saha, and Asish Das resigned from the party and assembly as well protesting the misrule of former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and the indulgence of some central BJP leaders to him. However, Roybarman won the by-elections on a Congress ticket in June this year from the prestigious Agartala constituency.
