Politics / Tripura

Agartala, Feb. 16: The BJP in Tripura is on the verge of a split following the inclusion of tribal-based Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) in the NDA. State BJP president Ranajay Deb had firmly opposed BJP?s electoral alliance with INPT, citing the party?s alleged links with the banned NLFT militants.

However, the INPT leadership approached Trinamul chief Mamata Banerjee in Calcutta and sought an appointment with BJP general secretary Pyarelal Khandelwal in Delhi.

Despite grave reservations expressed by the state BJP president, who was also present in Delhi at that time, BJP...

Agartala, Feb. 14: The BJP?s state unit has decided to contest the Lok Sabha polls alone, despite the NDA?s announcement to strike an alliance with the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT). ?There has been an alliance between the INPT and the NDA, but it has got nothing to do with the BJP, at least in Tripura,? state BJP president Ranajay Deb said.

Deb is against an alliance with the INPT because of the latter?s stand on militancy. ?How can we accept in our fold a man like Bijay Hrangkhwal, who has been an insurgent leader and even two years ago had spoken in favour of militants in...

NEW DELHI, Feb 12 ? In a big boost to NDA?s ally gathering spree, two regional parties of the North East including Mizo National Front (MNF) and Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT) have formally joined the ruling alliance. While MNF was formally admitted into the NDA fold yesterday by Defence Minister George Fernandes, who is its convener, a formal alliance between BJP and INPT was announced by BJP spokesman and Union Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley here today.

Meanwhile, in a letter to Mizoram Chief Minister, Zoramthanga, the Defence Minister welcomed the MNF into the NDA. "The NDA...

New Delhi, Feb. 11: After months of hectic negotiations, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has roped in yet another coalition partner in the Northeast. It has finally managed an agreement with the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT) in Tripura, an organisation that has a support base among the state?s tribal population.

The agreement was signed by BJP vice-president Pyarelal Khandelwal and INPT general secretary Rabindra Debbarma at the party headquarters today in the presence of other delegates from both sides.

The joint statement that was prepared after the meeting...

AGARTALA, Feb 9 ? The attempt of the Indigenous National Party of Tripura (INPT) to forge an alliance with BJP came a cropper once again following strong opposition from the State unit of the BJP. The INPT, which had so far been an ally of the Congress in Tripura, sought to change the electoral partner and held talks with the BJP president M Venkaiah Maidu in New Delhi yesterday.

Earlier, Trinamool Congress leaders Manata Banerjee and Mukul Roy also discussed the INPT?s joining with the NDA in Kolkata. Following the meeting with TMC leaders on February 7, the five-member delegation comprising...

New Delhi, Feb. 8: Back from another peacemaking mission to Bangkok, Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga said leaders of as many as three militant groups of the Northeast were expected to visit New Delhi within a month to begin negotiations with the Centre.

The militant leader-turned-politician met leaders of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) and a couple of other groups during his visit to the Thailand capital. He undertook the mission at the behest of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Zoramthanga said he held ?extensive? discussions with the NSCN (I-M) leadership on...

AIZAWL, Feb 2 ? The 10th round of talks between the Mizoram Government and the Tripura-based underground Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) might run into rough weather even as both the sides expressed optimism that they would settle the Bru problem this time around.

An official, who is involved in the negotiations, told PTI on condition of anonymity that the State Government was having serious doubts that the agreement to be made with the BNLF would end the Bru insurgency against Mizoram.

?We doubt that the BNLF would be able to rein in Bru underground splinter groups like tha Bru National...

AGARTALA, Feb 1 ? Bijoy Laxmi Sinha, wife of assassinated Health Minister Bimal Sinha repeatedly broke down while deposing before the court of District Session Judge B K Goswami.

Bimal Sinha, considered to be the most popular minister of the Fourth Left Front government and his younger brother Bidyut Debbarma were shot dead by NLFT militants at Abhanga area in Kamalpur subdivision in Dhalai district on March 31, 1998. The minister had gone to Abhanga for negotiating with the militants on the release of their another Bikram. While Bimal Sinha and Bidyut Sinha were standing on the edge of...

Agartala, Jan. 19: More than 300 people have been rotting in the jails of Tripura because an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) made by the state government, extending the duration of remand for undertrials, ceased to have effect from October 31.

While many judges have been refusing police plea for remand beyond the normal period sanctioned by the Indian Penal Code (IPC), others continue to send arrested people to jail remand for 120 or 180 days.

According to sources, on May 26 last year, the state government tabled an amendment of clause 439-A of the Criminal Procedure Code...

Silchar, Jan. 14: The militant Bru National Liberation Front (BNLF) has indicated it is no longer averse to accepting the Mizoram government?s condition that all members of the outfit must lay down weapons before a peace accord is signed. If the BNLF says yes, it will be the second such concession by the Bru group in the past two years.

The militants first gave up the demand for an autonomous district council to administer the Bru-dominated areas of northwest Mizoram. They instead settled for a development council based on the model of limited autonomy, which was granted to the Hmar tribe in...