Decode Politics: 20 days to go for state board exams, why is Tripura staring at protests

TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya earlier demanded that TBSE president Dhananjoy Gonchowdhury be removed if students were not given both the options.

What is the controversy?

Kokborok, the lingua franca of most of Tripura’s 19 recognised tribes, does not have a script. However, it has been taught in state schools, colleges and universities since 1979, when it was recognised as an official state language, and exams on Kokborok language as a subject have been conducted since 1983.

Candidates earlier used to write their Kokborok exams in both Bengali and Roman scripts. The controversy arose after some exam centres last year insisted that students not use the Roman script. Many candidates, especially those who had studied Kokborok in the Roman script, turned in blank sheets and sought reexamination.

This became a political issue as it was seen as a further imposition of Bengali in a state where the original tribal population now stands overwhelmed by “migrants”. It was also seen as a reflection of the “outsider” BJP’s rise in the state, and in its election manifesto last year, the TIPRA Motha, which is the main tribal party of Tripura, promised to ensure that Roman script was retained for writing Kokborok.

Why has it flared up now?

On January 30, Gonchowdhury said that Roman script would not be allowed for the Kokborok exam in the coming board exams. One of the reasons he cited was the lack of enough qualified evaluators to check Kokborok answer-sheets written in the Roman script.

This led to protests, including by the TIPRA Motha as well as an organisation of 56 tribal organisations called the ‘Roman Script for Kokborok Choba (RSKC)’ which is led by noted Kokborok litterateur Bikash Rai Debbarma. The TIPRA Motha warned the Manik Saha government to revise the decision, or face law and order problems.

Following a week of protests, on February 6, TBSE head Gonchowdhury declared that students would be allowed to give their Kokborok exams in both the scripts. By then, over 130 faculty members from different colleges and universities had submitted a written undertaking to evaluate Kokborok answer sheets in Roman script.

Gonchowdhury added that the board would arrange proper evaluation in both the scripts. “The exams commence in 20 days. It’s not fair to have examinees stay in anxiety… We shall arrange for proper evaluation for both the scripts based on whatever guideline comes from the Centre.”

At the same time, he didn’t issue any written order regarding use of the Roman script.

Pradyot Kishore went live on social media to claim the board had backtracked due to pressure from tribal students and civil society.

Then, a day later, on February 7, Gonchowdhury made another flip, telling mediapersons in a video message that his comments had been “misinterpreted”. “What I wanted to say was that the school education department had written to the CBSE about the issue. So far, the CBSE hasn’t conveyed its decision, without which, whatever method was in force in the TBSE earlier, will continue,” he said.

Gonchowdhury further added that with education an item in the Concurrent List, the state education board had been following the CBSE curricula since 2020, in line with the Centre’s attempt at uniformity in education systems across the country with its New Education Policy (NEP).

Soon after, TIPRA Motha president and former MLA Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl said: “If the government wants to treat this sensitive issue with a soft touch, good. We don’t welcome violence. But there will be student protests otherwise, which would be unfortunate.”

What is the state board chief’s defence on his flip-flop?

On Thursday, Gonchowdhury said: “When I instructed exam centre in-charges on January 29-30 that they should only allow the Bengali script, there were protests. Many people threatened to disturb the exam process. To avoid confrontation, I said on Tuesday that I would allow both the scripts. But I got a call from my ‘higher authority in Delhi’ the same night that the CBSE had asked the state government to maintain the status quo till a final decision was taken. I am helpless, and will only allow the Bengali script for now.”

What will happen now?

Protests have begun again, by TIPRA Motha MLAs inside the Assembly and other tribal groups outside.

Bikash Rai Debbarma, the tribal litterateur, said that the TBSE’s arguments had no basis. “The CBSE is a different entity from the TBSE. I don’t understand why the TBSE is waiting for a CBSE guideline. It seems the state education board is relinquishing its responsibility.”

Motha leader Animesh Debbarma said, “Is the TBSE running on instructions of the CBSE? The TBSE is a state body. Education is in the Concurrent List, and since Kokborok is a local language, the state government is better placed to understand the issues.”

Reached out for his comments, BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharya said he didn’t have anything to say.

Swapan Debbarma, the general secretary of the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), the tribal party that is an ally of the BJP, said on Friday that his party has been demanding both the Roman and Bengali scripts for Kokborok language exams for a long time.

He said an IPFT delegation had earlier submitted a memorandum to Dr Manik Saha, in response to which the CM had assured he would look into the matter. For now, the BJP’s tribal partner says it will wait till February 10 — when the TBSE is scheduled to issue its exam notification — to see if both Roman and Bengali scripts are allowed.