Bijoy Hrangkhawl Interview | INPT chief on alliance with TIPRA, Greater Tipraland demand & Assembly polls

AGARTALA: Bijoy Hrangkhawl, the chief of the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), today said that his party seeks to consolidate its alliance with the Pradyot Manikya-led The Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA).

TIPRA and its alliance partner, the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), together fielded candidates in 28 seats, winning 18 Seats overall -- enough for an absolute majority in the 30-member Council.

After a shocking display in the 2018 Assembly election, INPT has no representatives in the Tripura State Legislative Assembly. So is it mulling a big comeback in the next Assembly elections in an alliance with TIPRA?

In an exclusive interaction with InsideNE days after the unlikely triumph, Bijoy Hrangkhawl, whose party won two seats in the just-concluded polls, says that his party hopes to continue its alliance its alliance with TIPRA "as it cannot survive alone."

"We cannot forecast what will happen and what I will do and what they will do. But we would like our fair discussion and fair alliance with good understanding otherwise we cannot survive alone", he said, adding, "when the Assembly elections come around, we hope we will be able to do well."

ALSO READ: Tripura royal scion Pradyot Manikya to take oath as CEM on April 20

"That we will have to discuss. We cannot plan too far ahead in the future. For the moment, we will assume our Seats in the ADC. We will do our own job," Hrangkhawl said, added, "INPT is the oldest regional party in the state and we want to do something achievable. After formation of the Council we will settle on our own responsibility and then we will find out our main demand and what we want to do and what not to do."

Asked about the popular demand for a Greater Tipraland, the INPT leader said: "That we will discuss after the formation of the Council. We will sit and find out the definition of Greater Tipraland and whatever demand we will be raising."

Bijoy Hrangkhawl, a former rebel leader, further rued that his party lost some of its Seats "because of the money power of the BJP."

Asked about his party's strategy in the election, he said, "They (BJP) fight from different angle and we fight from different angle. Therefore, we are close to the people and we cannot lie to the people. We want to be in truce so that we can do any work for the people. We cannot cheat the people making big promises and then failing to deliver."

TIPRA chief and royal scion Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma will take oath as the new Chief Executive Member (CEM) of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) on April 20 next.

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