BJP's Tripura ally seeks law on appointments to advisory bodies

After Tripura Chief Minister's stern warning to junior partner IPFT to stop "unruly violent protests", the tribal party on Wednesday demanded law to appoint chairmen in village and block advisory committees.

The central executive committee of the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), the junior ally in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government, made the demand after violent agitations by its cadres in many areas of Tripura in the past five days.

The IPFT's road blockades and shutdowns in a number of places and attack on a police station in Khowai district (in western Tripura) began from May 12 after the government appointed Chairmen of 27 Block Advisory Committees (BAC).

"We have decided to urge the government to enact law or promulgate an ordinance to systematically appoint Chairmen of BACs and Village Advisory Committees (VACs)," IPFT President and Revenue Minister Narendra Chandra Debbarma told the media after a party meet.

He said that the previous Left Front government did not enact any specific law on the matter, causing political troubles.

A five-member state-level coordination committee of the BJP and the IPFT was formed last week to ensure better coordination between the two at the government and political levels.

BJP Vice President Pratima Bhowmik earlier said that the BJP and IPFT leaders had finalised the names of 27 BAC Chairmen.

The IPFT has two Ministers in the nine-member Council of Ministers.

--IANS

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