IPFT calls off strike in Tripura tribal council area after talks with BJP

The Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of ruling BJP called off its Wednesday dawn-to-dusk bandh in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) areas following talks with the senior coalition partner, the IPFT spokesperson said.

"We have decided to call off the strike after BJP assured us of taking the initiative to hold the by-elections in the tribal council area," party spokesperson Mangal Debbarma told reporters. Debbarma Wednesday said there was a meeting of top IPFT with BJP leaders Tuesday night and the meeting resolved that initiative for bi-elections for village council in the tribal council areas would be taken soon.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, BJPs tribal wing chief and Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Devvarma, senior BJP leader and Law Minister Ratan Lal Nath, IPFT president and state Revenue minister N.C Debbrama, Youth IPFT general secretary Shukla Charan Noatia attended the Tuesday night meeting.

The IPFF spokesman said the chief minister has assured them that the government would take the initiative for holding the by-election in village committee. The IPFT had earlier called for the bandh to demand bi-election of village committees, scrapping of the Citizenship Amendment bill 2016 and a separate state of 'Twipraland' for the indigenous people.

He said about 1500 seats had fallen in village committees after the BJP-IPFT alliance came to power in Tripura in March this year. The TTAADC constitute two third territory of the state and is the home to tribals, who forms one-third of the state population.