IPFT team to meet Rajnath over separate state demand 

IPFT team to meet Rajnath over separate state demand 

Context

A 10-member delegation of Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) would leave for New Delhi on Tuesday to hold talks with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and the top brass of BJP over its contentious separate state demand

Backdrop

Twenty seats in 60-member Tripura Assembly are reserved for tribals and the BJP is trying to work out coalition with a common tribal platform consisting of IPFT, Indigenous Nationalist Party of Twipra (INPT), National Conference of Tripura (NCT), and an IPFT faction led by former MLA Rajeshwar Debbarma to take on the CPI(M) in Assembly polls. Of them IPFT visibly stands strongest as it gained support of a large number of tribals with its separate state or ‘Tipraland’ plank

IPFT’s vision

The IPFT mooted vision to convert the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) into Tipraland – a separate State for indigenous people. One third population in Tripura is tribal and the TTAADC consists of three-fourth geographical area of the State

• The IPFT chief, who retired as Station Director of All India Radio Agartala a decade ago, said his party will contest Assembly elections with or without BJP. “If we have to fight alone, we would put up candidates in more than 50 seats and we are confident of winning a number of seats”, he stated