AGARTALA, August 24 (TIWN): The Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), a tribal based party in Tripura, has staged a huge rally in Agartala on Sunday pressing demand for a separate state. The party has threatened vigorous agitations to achieve ‘Twipra-land’ with areas under tribal autonomous district council to protect the rights and identity of Tripura’s tribal population.

The party also held a mass demonstration at Vivekananda stadium.

IPFT which is known as a hardliner party and often blamed for its alleged soft stance on extremist movements is clearly trying to woo the tribal society after years of political isolation.

“We are not pushing for any irrelevant or unconstitutional demand; our state demand is lawful”, said party president Narendra Chandra Debbarma in the rally at Vivekananda stadium.

Debbarma in his address at the rally attended by thousands of tribals, mainly youths, warned that the party would continue to strive for a separate state with areas of the tribal autonomous district council. He stated that “it’s important to protect state’s minority tribal’s and preserve our identify”

Many tribal youths had their chest written with slogans in support of state demand. 

The IPFT, which first raised the demand for a separate state several years ago, has so far failed to garner support even from within the indigenous tribal people.

“We are now carrying out awareness and mass campaign programme among the tribals across the state to press for the demand for a separate state. Leaders of such movements seeking a separate state from other parts of the country are also supporting our demand,” IPFT general secretary Debbarma said.

Party president Narendra Chandra Debbarma was present at the programme which attained many political and social ramifications. The autonomous district council was constituted under sixth schedule of the constitution with three fourth of total area of Tripura having less than four million population.