IPFT ends disputes under NLFT pressure

AGARTALA, March 23: The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura has put an end to its internal disputes under pressure from the NLFT. A rapprochement has been reached among its warring factions. The rebel outfit wants Indigenous People's Front of Tripura leaders to "work unitedly in hill people's interest." Debabrata Koloy, a senior Indigenous People's Front of Tripura leader, had resigned as the autonomous council's chief executive member on 9 March following an infighting over leadership within the party. Earlier, the party chief, Harinath Devbarma, along with other IPFT members met the Governor, Gen (retd) KM Seth to press the demand for removal of Koloy immediately as the chief executive member. After a series of discussions among rival IPFT groups, a rapprochement was reached. Kripamohon Reang, a senior IPFT leader has been chosen as the new chief executive member of the council 'unanimously.' Reang and four of his new executive members - Binoy Devbarma, Mohon Devbarma, Krisnakanta Jamatiya and LD Darlong - took oath of office and secrecy at a function at Khumulung, the district councils headquarter near here yesterday. The outgoing executive council of the autonomous hill district unit headed by Debabrata Koloy had nine members. Now only four executive members were inducted in the new executive council after leaving Shridam Devbarma, Muluk Chand Devbarma, Raju Devbarma and Ramani Mohon Devbarma out of the panel of executive members. Koloy, however, alleged that he was the "victim of a meticulously planned conspiracy within the IPFT ." Koloy's detractors accused him of "embezzling of public funds, his high handedness and nepotism." Koloy rebutted the charges and said the executive unit of the autonomous council might be changed again if the new executive unit ' "failed to deliver goods." Though the undergrounds were keen on avoiding split of the IPFT, a senior IPFT leader said, "But this is simply for the time being." The ruling CPI-M in the state, however, alleged that it was the NLFT militants who forced tribal voters at gun point to vote for the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura in last years' council polls. The IPFT is betraying the cause of the poor Tripura hill people to serve NLFT's interests, a senior leader of ruling Left Front said. Kripamohon Reang said, he would try his best to reopen the hundreds of schools which had earlier been closed down in Tripura hill areas under intensified pressure from the armed rebel groups. Kripamohon Reang said, the new executive unit of the hill areas autonomous district council would implement time bound programmes for development of states backward hill tribes.