In a late night political development, Tripura Congress president Maharaj Pradyot Kishore Devbarman went to the house of NC Debbarma, a Cabinet minister in the BJP-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) chief government under Biplab Kumar Deb and held a closed door meeting.
The senior minister, Debbarma, is also the chief of the IPFT and has the revenue and fishery department in his portfolio.
After the 40 minutes meeting, speaking to reporters, the royal scion accompanied by Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT) president and former militant turned MLA Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl said, “We met N C Debbarma requesting him that his party withdraw both the candidates as being in the fray will only help the anti-tribal BJP, which promised to implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill if it returns to power.”
He added that BJP has defamed its alliance partners as the party leaders have called N C Debbarma a thief and if IPFT have self respect, then they should come out of the alliance and unitedly fight against the BJP.
“We should not allow division of anti-BJP votes and so we appealed to N C Debbarma to withdraw their candidates and fight jointly under the umbrella of the Congress,” said the state Congress chief.
Meantime, the IPFT chief said that all of sudden without any prior intimation the Congress chief came to his house at around 10.20 pm when he was having his dinner but like any other guests who visit to his place, Debbarma welcomed them.
On the Congress president’s proposal the IPFT supremo said, “We are still part of the NEDA and the government and what the State’s Congress President has proposed is next to impossible but we shall still have a meeting with our leaders tomorrow and declare the final decision.”
Sources said that one more cabinet minister of the BJP-IPFT government, but not from the tribal party, was also present at the meeting.