Tripura CM Manik Saha apologises for mistakenly referring to BJP ally IPFT as outlawed group

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Sunday, October 19 issued a public apology after mistakenly referring to the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), the ruling BJP’s alliance partner, as an outlawed group during a political rally in poll-bound Bihar.

The Chief Minister had made the remark while addressing a rally at Ramnagar, Bihar, on Saturday, organised to mark the filing of nomination papers by two BJP candidates. During his speech, Saha mentioned that members of the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT), All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), and IPFT had surrendered to lead normal lives, inadvertently clubbing the BJP ally with banned militant outfits.

Acknowledging the error, Dr. Saha took to Facebook on Sunday to issue an apology and clarify his statement.

“While addressing in Bihar (on Saturday), I inadvertently referred to IPFT like NLFT and ATTF. As soon as the matter came to my knowledge, I called up IPFT president Prem Kumar Reang and tendered my apology for an unintentional mistake,”
he wrote.

The Chief Minister’s quick clarification and outreach to IPFT leadership have been viewed as a move to prevent political misunderstanding within the alliance ahead of key elections.

The IPFT, which represents the state’s indigenous communities, remains a crucial ally of the BJP in Tripura’s political landscape, particularly in tribal-dominated areas.