Tipra Motha likely to seek SC intervention for VC elections in tribal council area

Agartala, Aug 4 (PTI) Tipra Motha Party (TMP) supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma on Monday said that the party is contemplating submitting a petition to the Supreme Court regarding the conduct of elections to Village Committees (VCs) in the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) area.
    He said that he has been in touch with lawyers in Delhi also.The elections in 587 Village Committees (like gram panchayats) have not been held for several years.
    Political parties, including the BJP, Left Front and the Congress, have already geared up for elections in TTAADC, scheduled to be held early next year.
    "A long time has elapsed already. To date, we are not being given any explanation on what grounds the VC elections are not being conducted. Our people who live in the villages have certain expectations from us. And, if the state election commission doesn't take any prompt steps, we shall move to the Supreme Court," he told the reporters.
    Whether his move to file a petition in the Supreme Court would impact the relationship between the ruling allies—BJP and Tipra Motha Party, Debbarma replied, "Nowhere has it been written that two parties in alliance are bound to think alike. The High Court has already directed that the elections must be conducted. If the polls are not being conducted despite the high court verdict, we have to look for legal recourse. For political convenience, I can't let my people suffer..
    On recent political violence, he said, "Violence should be condemned. This is the time when people of Tripura, irrespective of political affiliations, must come forward and wage a battle against illegal immigration from Bangladesh."
    "If we have any differences, those can very well be settled through consultation at the table. In other states, political violence doesn't exist. It only happens in Tripura. And, I strongly feel that this culture must end," he said.
    Speaking about the meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi recently, Debbarma said he (HM) admitted there has been a delay in implementing the Tiprasa accord
    "The HM assured us to solve the problem and exhorted us to wait for some more time," he said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)