Tripura: Row over BJP’s claim to topple TTAADC, TIPRA sniffs conspiracy

Agartala: The Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) seems to have emerged as a bone of contention between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and TIPRA, the party that caused a shock defeat to the saffron camp in the TTAADC elections held last year.

What appears to be the center point of the row is a comment from East Tripura MP Rebati Tripura. He claimed that infighting within TIPRA may topple the present TTAADC council, something that TIPRA felt was a well-orchestrated conspiracy to demoralize its organization.  

According to the MP, there are strong possibilities of the present TTAADC council getting dissolved due to infighting within the party that is ruling it.

“Instead of working for the interests of people, the elected representatives of TIPRA Motha are working for themselves. This attitude of TIPRA leaders and MDCs is proving to be counterproductive for themselves and people in search of a strong alternative started strengthening the organization of BJP in TTAADC areas,” said Tripura.

The MP also alleged that TIPRA rose to power due to its tall promises but miserably failed in delivery.

“People have understood the truth behind Greater Tipraland demand. Serious allegations of irregularities pertaining to the tendering processes have been labeled against the present TTAADC administration. The money meant for public welfare is not being spent properly. All these things have unmasked the real face of TIPRA before the public,” said Tripura.  

Apart from that, BJP sources have also claimed that some of the elected representatives of TIPRA contemplating a switch over are in touch with BJP.

Declining all the charges, Chairman TTAADC Jagadish Debbarma said, “His statement is full of baseless information. And, on the issue of the TTAADC council collapsing, I would say the BJP should come out clean on the recent political change of guard in the state. People of the state have no idea what prompted the party’s high command to take such drastic action. The BJP is on the verge of collapse, we are not.”

Debbarma also said, “The TTAADC has been traditionally deprived by the parties in power—both BJP and the Left parties. The budgetary allocation for the whole ADC is less than that of a department’s annual allocation made in the state budget. We are trying our best with limited capacity and I don’t feel we have to react to each and every scripted statement BJP leaders give at the instance of their higher leadership.” 

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