‘Avoid needless statements’: Tripura BJP ally IPFT to Manik Saha on Kokborok script row

The Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) has asked Chief Minister Manik Saha to refrain from making “needless statements” on the contentious Kokborok script issue, saying the decision must rest solely with native speakers of the language.

IPFT general secretary Swapan Debbarma said that Saha, whose mother tongue is Bengali, should avoid intervening in a matter that directly concerns the tribal community.

“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,” Debbarma told reporters.

He described comments from those not properly acquainted with Kokborok as “avoidable interference” and added that it is not necessary for the Chief Minister to comment on every issue.

The remarks come against the backdrop of growing differences within the ruling alliance, particularly between the Tipra Motha Party and the BJP, over the adoption of the Roman script for Kokborok. Saha has recently opposed the Roman script and argued in favour of developing an indigenous script.

Referring to the political fallout of similar positions in the past, Debbarma cited the Left Front’s decline in tribal-dominated hill areas. “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.

Debbarma maintained that the Chief Minister’s comments may reflect a personal view rather than an official policy. “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,” he said.

Board examinations are scheduled to begin in the coming days, and students will continue to have the option of answering Kokborok papers in either Roman or Bengali script, as no formal change has been notified.