Group of former extremists join the BJP in Tripura as Assembly election approaches
The Hindu
Former self-styled rebel leader Daniel Borok, led the group that joined the Saffron Party and claimed that it had taken measures to dispel their grievances
A group of former extremists joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as the latter was seeking to check the influence of the Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA), in the hills of Tripura. BJP State President Rajib Bhattacharjee handed party flags to 25 of them at the Party office here on Thursday evening.
Former self-styled rebel leader Daniel Borok, led the group that joined the saffron Party. He surrendered to the authorities in 2004 and was leading an association of former members of armed underground outfits, who returned to the mainstream.
The association was occasionally staging protests, demanding the complete implementation of the peace accords signed with the extremist groups, over the years. It alleged that some important assurances of the accords were overlooked.
After joining, Daniel claimed that the incumbent State government of the BJP-led coalition had initiated measures to dispel their grievances. ‘Development and welfare programmes of the Central and State governments encouraged’ him and his fellow members to join the BJP.
“I will work to expand the BJP organisation in (tribal) reserved seats”, Daniel, who was never a member of any political party before, added.
BJP leaders of all ranks and cadres were being prevented from holding meetings and organisation work in most of the 20 tribal reserved seats, allegedly by the supporters of the TIPRA, headed by royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman. TIPRA, which apparently gained popularity with its ‘Greater Tipraland’ plank, has been governing the tribal autonomous district council, after its spectacular win last year.
With barely two months left for the State Assembly elections, the BJP is in a hurry to expand its organisation in reserved seats as it does not want to restrict its activities only in the remaining 40 seats. The inclusion of Daniel Borok is seen as a ploy to counter the strong regional Party.