Tripura: 2 tribal parties merge with Pradyot-led front

Three months ahead of the Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council elections, The Indigenous People’s Regional Alliance (TIPRA), a social organisation led by Tripura royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, announced its merger Friday with two tribal political parties, Tipraland State Party and Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura-Tipraha.

This has now emerged as the largest tribal party in the state.

TIPRA was on Friday named Tipraha Indigenous People’s Regional Alliance.

Debbarma also announced an alliance between the new front and the BJP’s ruling partner IPFT on several issues, including the upcoming polls, and said the alliance would continue after the election.

He asserted that he is confident of a favourable mandate in the Autonomous District Council polls and promised that if the alliance wins, a resolution demanding ‘Greater Tipraland’ will be passed in the district council.

At a press conference Friday, IPFT supremo and state Revenue Minister N C Debbarma said: “We have been in a democratic movement to end economic and social deprivation of indigenous communities with the demand of a separate state with ADC areas of the state. Maharaja Pradyot Kishore and we are working with the same goals.”

IPFT general secretary and state Tribal Welfare minister Mevar Kumar Jamatia said they has joined hands with Tipraha Indigenous People’s Regional Alliance after dialogues over the demand for Tipraland.

IPFT leaders said their alliance with BJP in the government will continue but pointed out that they are “unhappy” with its performance in implementing poll promises on tribal development and welfare.