Agartala, February 16 The choice of script for the 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 the Tipra Motha Party (TMP) and the BJP, over the adoption of the Roman script for Kokborok.
Speaking to reporters, IPFT general secretary Swapan Debbarma said Chief Minister Manik Saha speaks Bengali, as it is his mother tongue.
"He should avoid making unnecessary statements on this matter. The question of which script is best suited for Kokborok must be settled by those who use the language in their daily lives," he said.
Debbarma said that views offered by individuals who are not properly acquainted with the language amount to unnecessary 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 a script of one's own.
Debbarma also referred to the decline of the Left Front 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 that the CM's stance 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 the Kokborok subject," Debbarma said.