From Our Special Correspondent
GUWAHATI: A 15-member delegation of the Indigenous People’s Federation of Tripura (IPFT) is on a ‘Gorkhaland’ study tour and meeting various social and political organisations involved in the Gorkhaland movement.
The delegation met leaders of the Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha in its Siliguri headquarters on Saturday and discussed various aspects of the statehood demand movement, a statement said.
IPFT is a coalition partner in the BJP-led Tripura government and has two cabinet ministers in the government.
The carving out of the state of Twipraland from Tripura for the Tiprasa tribals has been a long-standing demand of IPFT.
Balram Debbarman, chairman, IPFT youth wing, who led the delegation after the meeting at the BGP office said, “The Tiprasa people have a lot to learn from the Gorkhaland leaders and from its think tank organisation, Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangh, which is spearheading the Gorkhaland movement intellectually and supporting the agitating fronts on ground with intellectual intervention.
He expressed his gratitude to the National Federation of New States (NFNS) which has a nationwide reach to enable them to reach out to its member organisation and study the statehood movements.
IPFT is also a constituent member of the NFNS which brings together movement leaders from Gorkhaland, Bodoland, Vidharbha, and other statehood demand movements.
The delegation expressed solidarity with the Gorkhaland movement and called for greater cooperation between the Tiprasa and Gorkha people.
Nirmal Pun, secretary general, Bharatiya Gorkha Parisangha, expressed Gorkhas’ solidarity towards the statehood demand of Twipraland under the IPFT leadership and umbrella leadership of NFNS.
“I am glad that an indigenous tribal group of Northeast travelled all the way from Tripura to Siliguri to study the century-old homeland demand of Gorkhas so that they don’t make same mistakes that Gorkhas made as it is taking so long to realise and achieve Gorkhaland,” Pun said.
The delegation left for Darjeeling Hills after the meeting to meet the agitating groups and political parties on ground apart from civil society organisations.