Reported By: Kamalika Sengupta
Edited By: Pathikrit Sen Gupta
Last Updated: March 08, 2023, 23:46 IST
BJP’s Prof (Dr) Manik Saha takes oath as the chief minister of Tripura, in Agartala. (Pic/ANI)
Pradyot Manikya made this statement after meeting Amit Shah amid buzz that Tipra Motha may join the BJP-led Tripura government
Will Tipra Motha be part of the Tripura government? Two meetings after the assembly election results have triggered this speculation.
Sources said that on Saturday, Tipra Motha head Pradyot Bikram Manikya met union home minister Amit Shah in Guwahati. There were talks on tribal development, more autonomy, and demands of tribal people, they added. The leaders met again on Wednesday afternoon. The Tipra Motha chief said the home minister will be appointing an interlocutor in 2-3 days and has assured a constitutional solution on the Greater Tipraland issue.
Pradyot Manikya earlier took to Twitter in the morning.
Following the oath-taking ceremony of chief minister Manik Saha and some of his ministers later in the day, the Tipra Motha chief posted a congratulatory message on the social media site.
Wishing the Hon Cm of Tripura @DrManikSaha2 the very best . May the state prosper and one under the blessings of Ma Tripura Sundari . As a 2nd largest party in the state we will always work for the interest of the people of the state— Pradyot_Tripura (@PradyotManikya) March 8, 2023
While the details of his meetings with Amit Shah are yet to fully emerge, some analysts have said that Tipra Motha may offer conditional support to the BJP-led government if its demands are kept in focus.
However, Pradyot Manikya tweeted again after Wednesday’s meeting, saying issues of alliance and cabinet were not discussed.
The Home Minister has started the process for a constitutional solution for the indigenous people of Tripura . An interlocutor for this process will be appointed and this will be within a specific time frame . I thank the Home Minister for understanding the genuine problems of… https://t.co/EVVVDPpaHH— Pradyot_Tripura (@PradyotManikya) March 8, 2023
He confirmed this later in a press conference. “The home minister will be appointing an interlocutor in 2-3 days. He has assured a constitutional solution. We will not sit in government until a constitutional solution takes place. As they are appointing an interlocutor, in writing, that’s a great step. Our fight is for the people, not for the cabinet,” he said.
While the BJP and ally IPFT retained power for the second consecutive term by winning 33 out of 60 seats (BJP 33, IPFT one) in the recent elections, Tipra Motha bagged 13 out of 42 seats it contested with the demand for Greater Tipraland state for the tribal people.
Three ministerial berths are vacant at this time in the state cabinet, and observers say one or two of these could go to Motha if it provided support.
The BJP knows it would need tribal votes in the state in the future even though it has enough numbers at this time to run the government smoothly.
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