Tribal politics in Tripura took a new turn with the influentialIndigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT) splitting amid an internal row over the demand for a separate State. The breakaway faction, which claimed to have support of the majority of office bearers, voiced social and economic demands, apparently with an eye on the next Assembly elections.
This faction, which claimed to be the main party, revamped its central committee and elected Rana Kishore Reang as new State president and former MLA Rajeswar Debbarma as general secretary.
INPT, which achieved an unexpected rise in State politics owing to the demand for ‘Twipraland’ or a separate State for tribals, has been recently rocked by internal bickering. The faction belonging to expelled former president Narendra Chandra Debbarma insists that the demand for ‘Twipraland’ remains the main focus in 2018 Assembly elections; others see no hope without an alliance with a major political party.
