Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha on Monday downplayed the TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarman’s statement on the appointment of interlocutor and said, “I don’t know anything about it”.
The chief minister said he knew about the appointment of an interlocutor but was not aware of any developments concerning it. “I have heard that an interlocutor will be appointed. If this is the case, soon the interlocutor will arrive and the media will certainly know about it,” he said when asked about Debbarman’s recent statement.
Dr. Saha’s statement came a day after TIPRA Motha Supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarman met him at his official residence. On what transpired in the late-night meeting, Dr. Saha said, “It was purely a courtesy call. A range of issues were discussed. There was nothing concrete. Some routine things came up for discussion followed by which he left.” The Chief Minister did not divulge anything further on the topic.
Meanwhile, TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Debbarman on Sunday night said that he had drawn the attention of the Chief Minister towards some of the key issues that are affecting the smooth functioning of the TTAADC administration.
“The TTAADC has already passed a number of customary law bills. An important bill pertaining to the reforms in the land revenue sector is also passed by the ADC that is yet to get the Governor’s assent. During the meeting, I told the Chief Minister to expedite the proceedings on the files, which would help the TTAADC deliver better to its people,” said Debbarman.
Debbarman also said that he had demanded funds to overhaul the shambolic condition of TTAADC healthcare. “We have launched some schemes to ensure that the health infrastructure in the TTAADC areas could be improved but to move forward we need funds from the state government. The Chief Minister gave us a patient hearing and assured us that he would inquire about the status of the files forwarded by TTAADC with the Chief Secretary and the Finance Secretary,” he pointed out adding that the matter of “constitutional solution” was also a part of the discussion.
Earlier, Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha in a cryptic note slammed TIPRA Motha for favoring a particular section. Although he did not name the principal opposition party, he used the expression “Thansa”—the war cry of TIPRA and said, “What is Thansa? We have seen a political party has rescued some students stranded in trouble-torn Manipur arranging flight tickets for them. But, we have observed that the tickets are arranged for a particular sect of the society while the government of Tripura rescued all students irrespective of their caste, religion and community.”
The Chief Minister also referred to the letter written by Leader of the Opposition Animesh Debbarma and advised the opposition party not to “shed crocodile’s tears”.
According to sources in TIPRA, May 8 is the date when the central government appointed interlocutor for negotiating terms between the Government of India and TIPRA Motha was about to arrive. But, due to the hostile situation in Manipur, the Centre has shifted its focus towards the neighboring Northeastern state.
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Debbarman said, “This is a genuine situation. So, we shall wait for the next date.”
Even though no official confirmation has come from the central government, the name of retired IPS officer AK Mishra is making rounds in the political grapevine as the mediator for the talks.
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