CORRESPONDENT
AGARTALA: TIPRA Motha, a junior partner in Tripura's ruling coalition, is set to hold a meeting on October 28 to decide its future course of action amid growing differences with the BJP over several issues.
The latest dispute followed the state government's decision to change the security guard of TIPRA Motha MLA and frontline leader Ranjit Debbarma. Party sources said several other issues also required discussion.
Sources said a channel within the BJP had attempted to bridge the differences, but talks had made little progress amid poor communication between the two parties. TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Bikram Kishore Debbarma's decision to quit politics had further widened the differences and reduced opportunities for dialogue, they added. Pradyot Bikram recently visited the state to perform religious rituals of the royal family. Although party leaders met him during the visit, he reportedly spoke little about politics and declined requests for meetings from some other political leaders.
Meanwhile, Ranjit Debbarma left Agartala and returned to his village home following the change in his security detail. He alleged that the decision had been taken without consulting him, while other MLAs were allowed to choose their security guards. Although the Chief Minister had assured him that the matter would be examined, Debbarma said he had received no communication from the administration.
Debbarma had also met the Director General of Police a few days earlier to discuss cases registered against TIPRA Motha leaders and workers. He described many of the cases as baseless and urged the police to avoid indiscriminate arrests of people he considered innocent.
Meanwhile, discussions between the BJP and TIPRA Motha over political arrangements in 22 villages, where no party secured an absolute majority in the recent Village Committee elections, have reportedly stalled.
Also Read: Shillong Bypoll: Ex-Rajya Sabha MP Kharlukhi Backs Congress’s Vincent Pala