Tripura Assembly speaker disqualifies IPFT MLA under anti-defection law

AGARTALA: Brishaketu Debbarma, a rebel MLA of Tripura’s IPFT, who tendered his “resignation” last year as a member of the Tripura assembly, has been disqualified for not following the rules of resignation, assembly speaker Ratan Chakraborty said on Tuesday.

Chakraborty said any member of the assembly who wants to resign must meet the speaker and hand over his resignation letter but Brishaketu Debbarma did not follow the procedure.

Brishaketu’s exit reduced IPFT’s strength in the Assembly to seven. One more legislator, former IPFT general secretary Mevar Kumar Jamatia, has distanced himself from the party but hasn’t resigned. His wife and close associates have joined Tripura royal scion Pradyot Kishore Debbarman’s TIPRA Motha party in recent months.

“Series of hearings were held and sufficient scope was provided to him to explain and defend his part before the decision to disqualify him was reached. He remained absent in all the hearings but claimed he didn’t violate any rules or party instructions in a letter that made technical issues which had to be resolved through these hearings,” said Chakraborty.

“Eventually, documents, video and photo exhibits submitted by the IPFT proved he did violate his party whip during Rajya Sabha election, violated different norms of the legislature and flouted provisions of the anti-defection law,” he added.

The disqualification order was issued just five months before the assembly’s term is to expire.

Brishaketu Debbarma is the second MLA to be disqualified in Tripura. The first was ex-BJP MLA Ashish Das, who won from Surma assembly constituency in Dhalai district. He joined Trinamool Congress last year and was disqualified earlier this year.