Tripura: Kokborok script choice is Tiprasa’s internal matter, says Pradyot Debbarma

Guwahati: Tipra Motha Party (TMP) founder Pradyot Kishore Maniya Debbarma on Sunday strongly defended the right of the Tiprasa community to decide the script used for the Kokborok language, stating that the matter falls entirely within the community’s domain and is not open to external interference.

His remarks followed Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha’s recent call for the development of an indigenous script for Kokborok, rather than the Roman script currently advocated by several tribal leaders.

Responding through a video message shared on social media, Debbarma said decisions related to the script used in examinations must remain with the Tiprasa people themselves.

Without directly naming the Chief Minister, the TMP chief questioned objections to the use of English-linked scripts, arguing that political leaders who oppose English due to colonial history should then avoid English-medium education for their own children.

Debbarma also cited examples from neighbouring Assam, where students in Karbi Anglong are permitted to use the Roman script for their tribal language, and asked why similar flexibility should be denied to Kokborok speakers in Tripura.

Drawing a historical parallel, he referred to the language movement in former East Pakistan, where attempts to impose Urdu over Bengali led to mass protests and ultimately contributed to the creation of Bangladesh, underscoring the consequences of forcing linguistic choices.

The TMP leader also took a swipe at the BJP’s Janajati Morcha rally held on Saturday, claiming that attendance at TMP’s block-level programmes far exceeded the turnout at the ruling party’s state-level events. He asserted that while the BJP may wield administrative power, Tipra Motha enjoys grassroots support among the Tiprasa people.

Reacting to Chief Minister Saha’s assertion that the BJP would secure all 28 seats in the upcoming Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) elections, Debbarma challenged the party to prove its claim at the ballot box.

Elections to the TTAADC, which is currently administered by the Tipra Motha Congress alliance, are scheduled to take place early next year.