NEW DELHI: The BJP in Tripura will take a hit in the upcoming assembly election as its alliance partner Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) is likely to merge with TIPRA Motha, Pradyot Manikya Debbarma told The New Indian Express in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. Soon after the Election Commission announced the dates of the Assembly polls, Debbarma, who is tipped to emerge as kingmaker in this election, said that the IPFT wrote to him expressing interest in the merger of the two parties.
“The BJP is on the back foot because the IPFT is likely to come with us. They wrote a letter to us today that they want to meet us and discuss a merger. If our demands are the same, then we will become one party and speak in one voice,” he said, adding that the IPFT is disgruntled with the BJP as it failed to fulfill the promises made to the tribals.
Debbarma said that he is ready to change the name of his party if the merger takes place. “I am willing to change everything for the sake of people,” he said. When asked about an alliance with the CPM and the Congress, Debbarma said that it can only happen if the parties give written assurance on his demand for a Greater Tipraland state for the tribals.
The TIPRA Motha is in power in Tripura’s Tribal Areas Autonomous District Councils. The party has influence in more than 20 tribal-dominated seats in the 60-member Assembly. He said his outfit would contest 40 seats.
“All three parties — BJP, Congress, and CPM — have approached me. I have told them clearly that the constitutional rights of the people are paramount. If they can offer me a solution in writing, I will consider their offer. I will not go with any verbal commitments,” he said. Debbarma said that among the three parties, except CPM’s Sitaram Yechury, others have not yet responded to his demand for the “greater Tipraland”.
“Sitaram Yechury was sympathetic towards my demand. He welcomed it. Congress made it clear that they do not support the idea. If the CPM and Congress are together, then we have to also look at that aspect. Even BJP has been silent on it,” he said. “I defeated all of them in the ADC election. If they want to make an alliance with us, they have to come up with a concrete offer,” he added.“We are not fighting for power. We are fighting for the land rights, linguistic rights, cultural, political and economic rights of the tribals,” he said.