Agartala (Tripura): BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Wednesday said a meeting was held between his party, which secured a second, straight mandate in Tripura, and the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) on how they can come together and work for the development of the Northeast state.
However, to a specific question from a reporter on whether an alliance was in the works between the two outfits, Patra said, "No, there were no discussions on this. Only general talks were held regarding the tribal welfare." "We discussed briefly how the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT) and Bharatiya Janata Party can work together for the development of Tripura. We discussed issues affecting the state's tribal communities," the BJP national spokesperson added.
The meeting took place just hours after Manik Saha was sworn in as the chief minister for the second time in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home minister Amit Shah. Patra informed further that on the occasion of International Women's Day, the party on Wednesday also decided to allot minister of state (MoS) rank to 2 women MLAs from the BJP and 2 more from ally IPFT.
"We discussed how to solve problems affecting the state's indigenous communities and ways to ensure that they are requisite dignity and respect as citizens. Also, with today being the International Women's Day, we also decided to allot 2 MLAs from the IPFT and 2 from the BJP MoS rank," said Patra. He informed that a several rounds of discussions will be held on putting the state on the path of development.
"Our party will have a series of talks with IPFT, Motha and other political and social outfits. No specific demand was put forward either by the Motha or the BJP. Though discussions, we will reach a consensus on taking Tripura towards development," the BJP spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda held a meeting with CM Manik Saha and Motha chief Pradyot Deb Barma, among others. The meeting was held at the the state guest house in Agartala. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Deb Barma said a constitutional solution will be arrived at for the state's indigenous people.
"We will have a series of discussions with the CM. We are here for the betterment of Tripura. We want to be part of a constitutional solution for the indigenous community," he said. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was also part of the meeting. The BJP won 32 seats in the Northeast, accounting for 39 per cent of the total votes polled.
Tipra Motha finished second in the overall tally, winning 13 seats. The swearing-in ceremony took place at the Vivekananda Maidan in Agartala. (ANI)
