Amit Shah urges Tripura to adopt Devanagari script amid Kokborok Roman script demand

Amidst demands from the Tipra Motha Party and other indigenous organisations for the Roman script for the Kokborok language, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday appealed Tripura to adopt the Devanagari script to strengthen its cultural identity.

Shah made these remarks while addressing the Eastern, North-Eastern, and Northern Regional Rajbhasha Sammelan, held at the International Indoor Exhibition Centre, Hapania today.

He noted that in Tripura, people speak Bangla, Kokborok, and Hindi fluently.

“In Tripura, there has been no conflict centered around language or script. All three languages are progressing simultaneously. In the North East, many people have brought recognition to the region through Hindi, including Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, S.D. Burman, R.D. Burman, Zubeen Garg, and others. Everyone should accept the Devanagari script and communicate in this dialect,” Shah said.

He added that some people in Tripura are advocating the opposite approach.

“I want to request them that, especially in the North East, almost all local languages have adopted the Devanagari script. Tripura should also accept it to strengthen its identity. Our identity can be preserved in our country’s script, not a foreign script. By accepting this, everyone can progress further, and script and language should not become a matter of controversy. It is built for development”, said Shah.

Shah emphasised the importance of Devanagari as a unifying script and said, “The Devanagari script, for which Vinoba Bhave ji had advocated, forms the base for numerous languages. By linking Devanagari with all dialects, we can preserve more than 2,000 dialects of the country. These dialects will not disappear. To safeguard them, we must strengthen the Devanagari script movement even further and take it two steps ahead.”

Highlighting the progress of the North East, Shah said there was a time when sounds of shutdowns, blockades, and gunfire echoed across the region, but today, tourism is growing. 

“The Rajbhasha conference of North India is being held here, and investment in the North East has increased rapidly. Many have asked why the Rajbhasha Sammelan is held in Tripura. I want to tell the entire country that if there is any place most suitable to strengthen Indian languages and the official language, it is the North East. Alone in its eight states, over 200 languages and dialects are spoken. Such diversity, tradition, and richness are hardly found elsewhere. There are more than 200 indigenous communities, 160 sub-tribes, and over 50 unique festivals. The North East has a rich culture you will not find anywhere else”, he said adding that everyone should accept the Devanagari script and speak in this dialect.”