Agartala: Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday advocated the development of an indigenous script for Kokborok, the language spoken by tribal communities in Tripura.
At the same time, he clarified that the state government has not issued any order to ban the Roman script.Speaking to reporters, Saha said he was not opposed to English. However, he questioned the use of a foreign script for an indigenous language. “I am not against English. Read English. But for an indigenous language, why should the Roman script be used that is the question,” he said.
The chief minister said Kokborok was earlier written in the Bengali script. He added that some had also suggested Devanagari or other Indian-origin scripts, but those proposals were not accepted. “Earlier, Bengali script was used. If you have an allergy with Bengali, you can stop using it.
There was a suggestion to use Devanagari or any Indian-origin script that is suitable. But those suggestions were refused,” he said.Saha said the state has several linguistic experts who are well-versed in Kokborok and can develop a suitable script of Indian origin. “We have many experts who understand the language well. They can prepare a proper script that is Indian in origin and fits the language,” he said.He urged people not to get carried away by the ongoing debate. “Think about future generations. Society must feel proud of its script and language,” he added.
Clarifying the government’s position, Saha said the status quo remains in place. He said students can continue to write examinations in the Roman script if they choose. “I have not issued any direction to ban the Roman script. If someone wants, they can write their exam in Roman script,” he said.He also said he had written to the Central Board of Secondary Education seeking permission to allow the use of the Roman script. “I have written to CBSE. Now the decision lies with them. I cannot control it,” he added.
His remarks came amid protests in Agartala, where student groups demanded official recognition of the Roman script for Kokborok. Members of a student body formed a peaceful human chain in support of the demand. One protester said they had gathered to show unity behind the Roman script and urged the chief minister to respond to what they called a genuine demand.Meanwhile, BJP ally Tipra Motha has also been advocating the adoption of the Roman script for Kokborok.