Alliance not discussed: Tipra Motha chief Pradyot after meeting Amit Shah
Mar 08, 2023
Agartala (Tripura) [India], March 8 : Seeking to set at rest speculations over his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday, Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Deb Barman said there was no discussion on an alliance with the ruling BJP the discussions broadly centered on the "interest of dopha" (indigenous people).
Earlier on Wednesday, Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda held a meeting with newly sworn-in Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha and Motha Chief Deb Barman, among others, in state capital Agartala.
Taking to Twitter, Pradyot said Union Home minister has started working towards a constitutional solution for the indigenous people of Tripura.
"An interlocutor for this process will be appointed within a specific time frame. I thank the Home minister for understanding the genuine problems of the sons of the soil," he tweeted.
"We successfully got our Bru people rehabilitated in our state after 23 years by signing the Bru accord and today, we started a major dialogue to ensure that the survival and existence of our indigenous people are safeguarded. Nothing about an alliance or entering the cabinet was discussed. Only the interest of our dopha (indigenous communities) was discussed," he added.
Earlier, on March 2, Pradyot, whose party secured 13 seats in the Tripura Assembly polls, told ANI that the Motha MLAs will sit separately in the Opposition benches and won't ally with the Congress or the Communist Party of India (Marxist).
"We are the second largest party and will serve as a constructive Opposition outfit as opposed to allying with the CPM or Congress. We will help the government if and when they need it," Deb Barma said.
Deb Barman is also a scion of the erstwhile Tripura royal family.
The BJP won 32 seats in the recently-held Assembly polls, accounting for 39 per cent of the total votes polled. Tipra Motha Party came second in the overall standings, winning 13 seats. Communist Party of India (Marxist) got 11 seats while Congress bagged a paltry 3 seats.
The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) managed to open its account, winning one seat.
