Tripura: IPFT to protest in New Delhi on Aug 23 for separate state

Agartala: The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a key ally of the ruling BJP, will hold a demonstration at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on August 23.

The protest aims to urge the Centre to create 'Tipraland,' a separate state for tribals, by upgrading the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).

IPFT General Secretary Swapan Debbarma announced that, as in previous years, the party will stage a sit-in at Jantar Mantar to demand a fully-fledged 'Tipraland.'

The TTAADC, which covers two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 square kilometers and is home to over 1.2 million people—about 84% of whom are tribals—has yet to fulfill its original purpose established in 1982.

During the demonstration, IPFT leaders will submit a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, reiterating their demand for statehood under Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution.

“We have been advocating for 'Tipraland' for the past 15 years and have staged numerous protests in Tripura and the national capital in support of this demand,” Debbarma said.

The IPFT was founded in the 1990s with the goal of creating 'Tipraland' for indigenous tribals. The party has experienced several splits, with some leaders joining other factions such as the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) led by former royal scion Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma.

The IPFT forged an alliance with the BJP, leading to their coalition's victory in the March 2018 Assembly elections, ending a 25-year rule by the CPI(M)-led Left Front. The TMP, which governs the TTAADC and is also a BJP ally, is also pushing for 'Greater Tipraland,' a separate state for tribals.

Both the IPFT and TMP’s demands are opposed by the ruling BJP, the opposition CPI(M), and Congress. In 2021, IPFT and TMP jointly held demonstrations at Jantar Mantar to press for a separate state.

Currently, the IPFT’s lone MLA, Sukla Charan Noatia, serves as a Cabinet minister in the Chief Minister Manik Saha-led coalition government.

Following a tripartite agreement with the Centre and Tripura government on March 2, the TMP joined the BJP-led coalition on March 7, with two of its MLAs—Animesh Debbarma and Brishaketu Debbarma—appointed as ministers.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, the BJP, IPFT, and TMP campaigned together in Tripura.