AGARTALA, Feb 16: The choice of script for Kokborok language should rest solely with its native speakers, a senior leader of the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), an ally of the BJP-led coalition government in Tripura, said on Monday.
The remark comes amidst escalating political differences within the alliance, particularly between Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the BJP, over adoption of Roman script for Kokborok.
Talking to the reporters, IPFT general secretary Swapan Debbarma said Chief Minister Manik Saha speaks Bengali as it is his mother tongue.
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“He should avoid issuing needless statements on this matter. The question of which script suits Kokborok best must be settled by those who use the language in their everyday lives”, he said.
Debbarma said views offered by individuals, who are not properly acquainted with the language, amount to avoidable interference and the CM must also understand that it is not necessary for him to comment on every issue.
In recent political speeches, Saha has opposed the use of the Roman script and argued in favour of developing own script.
Debbarma also referred to the Left Front’s decline in the state’s tribal belts, linking it to the party’s opposition to the Roman script.
“The Left lost its hold in the hilly areas because it resisted the Roman script without offering any valid grounds. The ruling party should therefore remember that political authority does not last forever,” he said.
He added the CM’s stand might reflect a personal view, noting that no formal policy decision had been announced either by the BJP or the state government. “It may simply be the CM’s individual standpoint. While he is entitled to his perspective, neither the BJP nor the government has issued any official policy decision on the script so far. For the board examinations beginning in the next few days, students remain free to write their answers in either Roman or Bengali script for Kokborok subject,” Debbarma said. (PTI)
