Agartala: The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Tripura, is set to hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on August 23, renewing its call for the creation of a separate state, Tipraland.
The IPFT has been advocating for Tipraland for several years, seeking the transformation of the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) into a full-fledged state.
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In recent years, the IPFT has staged numerous protests both within Tripura and in the national capital to push for this demand.
Party leaders have announced that they will present a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, urging the central government to upgrade the TTAADC into a separate state under Articles 2 and 3 of the Indian Constitution.
“Like previous years, we will stage a demonstration at Jantar Mantar for a full-fledged Tipraland on August 23 to mark Tipraland Statehood Demand Day,” IPFT leaders stated.
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The date, August 23, has been significant for the party, as it has been observed as Tipraland Statehood Demand Day since 2009.
The day also marks the formation of the Autonomous District Council (ADC) in 1984.
The IPFT, established in the 1990s with the objective of securing a separate state for indigenous tribals, has seen its share of internal splits over the years, with some leaders moving on to other factions like the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), led by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma.
The IPFT’s alliance with the BJP resulted in a significant electoral victory in the 2018 Tripura Assembly elections, ending a 25-year-long rule by the CPI (M)-led Left Front.
Despite this, the party’s primary demand for statehood has made little headway, although a high-level fact-finding modality committee was established in 2018 to explore the socio-cultural, ethnic, linguistic, and economic issues faced by Tripura’s indigenous communities.
In 2021, the IPFT, alongside the TIPRA Motha, organized a similar protest at Jantar Mantar, urging the central government to recognize their statehood demand.
However, this push faces opposition from several quarters, including the ruling BJP, the CPI-M, and Congress.
Currently, the IPFT’s only representative in the Tripura Legislative Assembly, Sukla Charan Noatia, serves as a Cabinet minister in the coalition government led by Chief Minister Manik Saha.
As the IPFT prepares for its latest demonstration, the demand for Tipraland remains a contentious issue in the political landscape of Tripura.