Debbarma returns as Minister in Manik Saha’s Cabinet
The Hindu
IPFT’s octogenarian chief Narendra Chandra Debbarma, who hasn’t been keeping well over the past year, fights back to retain his hold on Tripura’s politics
Narendra Chandra Debbarma, president of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) collation partner, caught everyone’s attention at his oath-taking as a Cabinet Minister here on Monday. The octogenarian leader, who recently fought off his baiters and retained his position in the party, held a magnifying glass in one hand to read the paper with the oath of allegiance in the other.
Mr. Debbarma, who hasn’t been keeping well over the past year and has spent a few months in hospital, remains at the epicentre of tribal politics despite his frail health.
In Chief Minister Manik Saha new Cabinet, he not only ensured his place, but also prevailed on the BJP leadership to drop his sworn opponent, Mevar Kumar Jamatia, who held the important Forest and Tribal Welfare portfolios in the previous Biplab Kumar Deb council. Mr. Deb resigned, making way for Dr. Saha’s chief ministership.
Mr. Jamatia had pulled off a coup by replacing Mr. Debbarma as IPFT president last month. But the veteran leader fought back and regained the post in an extraordinary meeting of the party's State executive committee recently.
Mr. Debbarma had Mr. Jamatia replaced by his [Mr. Debbarma’s] close aide Prem Kumar Reang in the new Council of Ministers. Mr. Reang was sworn-in as the Council’s second IPFT Minister.
Mr. Debbarma alleged that Mr. Jamatia had hatched a conspiracy to merge the IPFT with the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA), headed by the State’s royal scion, Pradyot Kishore Debbarman. “We will not abolish the party (IPFT) nor will we leave the alliance with the BJP,” he confirmed on Monday.
The former Director of All India Radio’s Agartala station did not join electoral politics till he retired from government service, but remained relevant in the State’s tribal politics for over 50 years as an ideologue and in advisory roles.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”