Agartala: The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), a partner in the BJP-led state government, has announced plans to stage a large rally in Agartala on August 23 to push for its long-standing demand for a separate Tipraland state comprising areas under the Sixth Schedule.
At the conclusion of the rally, the party will submit a formal demand draft to the Governor of Tripura, reaffirming its call for statehood, said IPFT General Secretary Swapan Debbarma.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Addressing the press, Debbarma also shared insights into the party’s recent discussions with the Election Commission of India over the ongoing Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls.
He emphasized the need to include every genuine Indian citizen during the revision and urged officials to conduct generation-wise verification based on the 1971 voter list. He cited past instances, such as the 1993–94 special intensive revision, when authorities identified over one lakh doubtful voters but failed to remove them from the rolls.
Reiterating that the demand for Tipraland remains central to IPFT’s political ideology, Debbarma clarified that the party’s decision to hold the rally is independent of its alliance with the BJP.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
He said that both parties have the liberty to pursue separate programs, as acknowledged in the first point of their common minimum programme.
He also highlighted IPFT’s participation in the recent National Federation of New States (NFNS) conference held in Meghalaya on July 29. The meeting resolved to hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi later this year, where statehood-seeking groups from across the Northeast will send delegations.
Debbarma said August 23 is significant for the party, as it observes the day as both Sixth Schedule Day and Tipraland Demand Day.
While earlier protests on this date were held in New Delhi, this year the party has opted to mobilize support within Tripura in light of the upcoming elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC).