GUWAHATI: The TIPRA Motha on Thursday joined the BJP-led Tripura government with the induction of two of its legislators Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma into the ministry.
Governor Indrasena Reddy Nallu administered the oath of office and secrecy at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan in Agartala. Chief Minister Manik Saha was among dignitaries present.
Animesh, who was the leader of opposition, and Brishaketu, the lawyer-turned-politician, took oath as ministers of state. Both are two-time legislators.
The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura, another tribe-based party, is a BJP ally. Its lone MLA Sukla Charan Noatia is a Cabinet minister.
The TIPRA Motha had bagged 13 of the state’s 60 seats in the 2023 state elections to emerge as the second single largest party after BJP. Despite feelers from BJP, it did not join the government then and instead, chose to fight demanding “constitutional solution” to the various problems faced by the state’s indigenous tribal population – Tiprasa.
The recent decision to join the government stemmed from a tripartite agreement signed among Centre, Tripura government and TIPRA Motha towards resolving the issues of the tribals.
“Now that an accord has been signed, we thought we need to send our own indigenous MLAs to the government which is also a party to the accord,” TIPRA Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma told this newspaper on Wednesday.
He had stated that Animesh and Brishaketu had been clearly instructed to go and speak on behalf of TIPRA Motha and the tribal community.
“I have told them to speak not for the government but for the people. If they feel the government is not listening to our voices, we have the right to recall them,” Pradyot had stated.
He also said that the government had asked him if he would like to send his party MLAs to the ministry and he accepted the offer.
“I said yes because we have to see that there is smooth implementation of the accord. We also want the various inaccuracies in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council to be corrected. We want money to come to the council. Our agenda is very clear. We are here to speak for our people,” Pradyot said.
“While I will continue to raise my voice outside the cabinet, the two will do it in the cabinet,” he added.