Agartala: In a major political development in Tripura ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, State Congress president Asish Kumar Saha along with senior party leaders on Friday met with Tipra Motha chief Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma in Agartala, triggering a buzz in the political arena. The congress Tirpura president was accompanied by party MLA Sudip Roy Barman and others during the meeting, which was held in the presence of opposition leader Animesh Debbarma.

Meeting is being considered as very crucial ahead of the parliamentary elections

The meeting, months before Parliamentary elections, marks the first interaction between leaders of the two parties since last year's assembly election, during which both Tipra Motha and Congress contested separately.

Speaking to reporters, Debbarma said, "Today, we had a meeting with PCC president Asish Kumar Saha and the party's senior MLA, Sudip Roy Barman, in my office. The PCC chief is scheduled to travel to Delhi on Saturday to participate in the party's screening committee meeting for the Lok Sabha elections." He added, "It has been decided that they will inform the party high command about the outcome of today's meeting, and we will also discuss this in our party meeting to determine the future course of action." Debbarma acknowledged the Congress's historical contribution to the establishment of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) for safeguarding the rights of indigenous people.

He said, "We have the TTAADC because of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and three additional reserved seats for ST due to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. The Congress understands the issues faced by the indigenous people of the state." "We discussed issues related to the problems faced by tribal people and also addressed development concerns during the meeting with the Tipra Motha supremo and opposition leader. The outcomes of today's meeting will be conveyed to the party's screening committee, which is scheduled to be held in Delhi tomorrow, and appropriate actions will be taken accordingly," Saha said.