AGARTALA, Dec 31 ? Despite strong opposition from a section of tribal leaders, the Indigenous National Party of Tripura president Bijoy Kumar Rangkhawl and general secretary Rabindra Debbarma could retain their position in the party. The decision that the two INPT MLAs would stay in their organisational posts was approved by the party?s state-level meeting which ended on Sunday. However, both the former vice-president and his staunch critic the chairman of the advisory committee of the party Shyamacharan Tripura were axed from their positions. Both were accused of playing maverick and responsible for the vertical split the INPT suffered in July. The breakway group the National socialist Party of Tripura ousted Koloy-led INPT from the power of the Tripura ADC in a no confidence motion.
The Naresh Chandra Debbarma and retired government official and ideologue of the INPT has been elected as the chief advisor of the party which is perennially dogged by controversies, squabbles and resultant leadership crisis. According to sources INPT members from the sub-divisional committees had raised their fingers at Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl for his failure to protect the integrity of the party leading to July split.
All the INPT MDCs in TTAADC were also accommodated in the party?s CWC. The party also adopted a 25 point charter of demands some of which are likely to revive controversies. Some of the salient features of their demands include renaming the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council as ?Borok Autonomous District Council?, implementation of the Indira, Mujib Pact, deporting the illegal settlers, inclusion of 2060 sqware kilometres (belonging to Manikya kings) tribal lands within ADC, withdrawal of laws like NSA, Armed Police Forces Act, POTA, dismantling of Dumboor Dam, increase of one seat each in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha among others.