AGARTALA:
Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) chairman, Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, on March 20, said that his party will fight the 2023 assembly election independently, and the question of alliance with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) doesn’t arise anymore.
The statement of TIPRA chief came as a reaction after Tripura People’s Front (TPF) chief Patal Kanya Jamatia, earlier in the day, switched over to the BJP camp, and said that the “development agenda” of BJP-TPF is more important than the “division agenda” of TIPRA.
Speaking to The Meghalayan, Pradyot said, “The TPF and the BJP have said that TIPRA is a small party. If BJP thinks we are a small party, then I think it is best to stop talking about any alliance. They said they are a very big party so they should fight in all the 60 assembly seats alone. We are going to fight in 35 seats alone in the 2023 election,” Pradyot said.
On Sunday afternoon, post switching over to the saffron camp on Sunday afternoon, Jamatia had said that Tripura needs “greater unity” than “greater Tipraland” for development.
Later, in an oblique reference to the TIPRA Motha, Union Home Minister Pratima Bhoumik echoed with Jamatia, and said, “Only BJP can bring in development of the indigenous people… Some leaders are trying to misguide and mislead people in the name of Greater Tipraland.”
Tripura Assembly election is slated for February 2023.