Agartala, Aug. 23 -- After nearly a decade, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), a partner in Tripura's ruling alliance, returned to the streets of Agartala on Saturday with a large-scale rally to reassert its core demand for a separate state under the Sixth Schedule.

The demonstration, organised on the occasion of ADC Day, witnessed an impressive turnout despite persistent rainfall.

Since 2009, the party has been marking August 23 as "Tipraland Statehood Demand Day," keeping alive its long-pursued agenda of carving out a new state for the tribal belt of Tripura.

Addressing the gathering, IPFT leader and cabinet minister Shukla Charan Noatia recalled the hurdles the party faced during earlier years of agitation.

"Back in 2...