Tripura tribal party to join stir of regional parties in Delhi

Agartala, Oct 6 : Despite showing dismal performance in recently held elections, the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) has declared that its demand for a separate state for the tribals would remain focal point of the party. The party leaders opine the issue has a long term impact to recon with tribal
politics and understands its irrelevance at present.

IPFT is to forge tie with other regional parties to raise demands of similar nature and put pressure on the union government. Then regional parties from all northeastern states would organise a demonstration and rally at New Delhi on October 28 and 29.

“I am leading a big delegation to join the protest programme at Delhi. The participants would be from the IPFT and a few other tribal forums”, IPFT President Narendra Chandra Debbarma said on Monday.

IPFT is demanding creation of a separate tribal state with areas under the sixth schedule of the constitution. The demand has faced a strong objection from the mainstream parties like CPI(M) and the Congress.

Debbarma expected that several thousand leaders and activists from regional parties would visit Delhi for the purpose. They include 2500 people from Bodoland in Assam.

More than one hundred tribal men and women would represent the IPFT in Delhi. Narendra Chandra Debbarma asserted that every regional party does not necessarily have a common agenda, but every demand is common towards achieving rights of the indigenous people in respective areas.

“In January last we observed a 72 hour hunger strike in Delhi and the forthcoming stir is the follow up to make the government leaders understand plight of people of the region”, he said.