Tripura Assembly Speaker Rebati Mohan Das on Wednesday rejected the resignation of the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) MLA, Brishaketu Debbarma on procedural grounds.

A sitting MLA of the IPFT, an ally of the ruling BJP, submitted his resignation letter to the Tripura Assembly Speaker on Tuesday evening on personal grounds.

“The IPFT MLA Brishaketu sent his resignation letter through someone and did not meet me personally, which is against the convention and legislative practice,” Speaker Das said.

Also read: Tripura: IPFT’s Simna MLA Brishaketu Debbarma resigns, likely to join TIPRA Motha

Debbarma in his letter wrote: “I, Sri Brishaketu Debbarma was duly elected as MLA from the 1-Simna (ST) Assembly Constituency in the Tripura Assembly Election, 2018 as a candidate from the IPFT and now due to some personal reason, I am tendering my resignation as MLA from the said Assembly constituency; in this regard, I would like to request you kindly to consider my this letter as resignation letter attracting the above and also to accept the same immediately all codal formalities.”

The copy of his resignation letter was also forwarded to the IPFT president NC Debbarman and chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb.

Speaker Das said, “The IPFT MLA did not meet me physically for tendering his resignation letter and forwarded the letter to the chief minister and his party president, which goes against the procedure.”

“I wanted to contact him over the phone, but his phone was switched off. I have not accepted the resignation,” Das added.

Earlier, IPFT assistant general secretary and spokesperson Mangal Debbarma said he would not comment and that his party would meet to discuss the matter.

The BJP-IPFT coalition government was formed after defeating the Left Front government in the 2018 general Assembly elections, winning 44 out of 60 seats.

The BJP won 36 seats while its ally IPFT won 8 out of 9 seats that it contested.

Sources confirmed that the exit of the IPFT MLA was planned and he would join the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA) Motha shortly in presence of its party chairman Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma.

Meanwhile, Brishaketu Debbarma during an interview with the media said he tendered his resignation and since his party stopped the movement of Tipraland, a separate statehood for the indigenous people, he had no option but to take such a decision.

(Report filed by Abhijit Nath)