AGARTALA, March 5 - Mounting pressure on its electoral ally BJP, the Indigenous People�s Front of Tripura (IPFT) today said that it would support the new government from outside if it was not given �respectable� positions in the ministry.
Clarifying the meaning of �respectable� positions, IPFT president NC Debbarma said that it meant proportionate representation of IPFT MLAs in the Cabinet and allocation of major departments to them.
He said that the IPFT would also seek a separate block for its MLAs in the Assembly unless it was given �respectable� positions in the state Cabinet. The BJP and IPFT combine had swept to power in the state winning 43 out of the 59 seats for which elections were held. The BJP had won 35 and IPFT 8 seats.
The election for the Charilam ST reserve constituency was countermanded due to the death of CPI-M candidate before the elections.
�There is an apprehension that we may not be given proper representation in the Cabinet and important portfolios would not be allocated to us as the BJP, the major constituent, alone secured 35 seats,� Debbarma told PTI.
He also said that the BJP and IPFT had fought the elections in alliance with the sole target of defeating the CPI-M and it has been achieved.
�Now, if we are not given respectable positions, we would support the government from outside,� he said.
Debbarma also demanded that the Chief Minister should be from among the indigenous MLAs and said it was the tradition of the Northeast that a CM is always selected from an indigenous community. � PTI
AGARTALA, March 5 - Mounting pressure on its electoral ally BJP, the Indigenous People�s Front of Tripura (IPFT) today said that it would support the new government from outside if it was not given �respectable� positions in the ministry.
Clarifying the meaning of �respectable� positions, IPFT president NC Debbarma said that it meant proportionate representation of IPFT MLAs in the Cabinet and allocation of major departments to them.
He said that the IPFT would also seek a separate block for its MLAs in the Assembly unless it was given �respectable� positions in the state Cabinet. The BJP and IPFT combine had swept to power in the state winning 43 out of the 59 seats for which elections were held. The BJP had won 35 and IPFT 8 seats.
The election for the Charilam ST reserve constituency was countermanded due to the death of CPI-M candidate before the elections.
�There is an apprehension that we may not be given proper representation in the Cabinet and important portfolios would not be allocated to us as the BJP, the major constituent, alone secured 35 seats,� Debbarma told PTI.
He also said that the BJP and IPFT had fought the elections in alliance with the sole target of defeating the CPI-M and it has been achieved.
�Now, if we are not given respectable positions, we would support the government from outside,� he said.
Debbarma also demanded that the Chief Minister should be from among the indigenous MLAs and said it was the tradition of the Northeast that a CM is always selected from an indigenous community. � PTI
