A 15-member delegation of Indigenous People’s Federation of Tripura (IPFT) visited the Siliguri headquarters of Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha (BGP) on Saturday.
The delegation met the BGP secretary-general Nirmal Pun and its general secretary Akash Lama and discussed various aspects of the statehood demand movement.
Carving out a separate Twipraland state from Tripura for Tiprasa people has been a long-standing demand of IPFT.
IPFT advisory chairman Balaram Debbarman said, “Tripasa people have a lot to learn from the Gorkhaland leaders and Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh (BGP).”
“BGP is spearheading the Gorkhaland movement intellectually and supporting the agitating fronts on the ground with intellectual intervention,” Debbarman added.
Debbarma expressed his gratitude to the National Federation of New States (NFNS), which has a nationwide reach to enable them to reach out to its member organisation and study the statehood movements.
IPFT is a constituent member of NFNS, which brings together various leaders demanding separate states.
The IPFT delegation expressed its solidarity with the Gorkhaland movement and called for greater cooperation between the Tiprasa and Gorkhas.
BGP secretary-general Nirmal Pun expressed Gorkhas’ solidarity to the demand for separate Twipraland.
The IPFT delegation later left for Darjeeling to meet the agitating groups and political parties and civil society organisations.
The delegation is on a Gorkhaland statehood study tour.
IPFT is currently in coalition with the BJP in the Tripura government and has two cabinet ministers in the government.
