Kokborok script row: TIPRA Motha MLAs walk out of Assembly, CM Saha promises new script

In a significant move, CM Manik Saha said his government is ready to prepare a script for Kokborok with “any Indian language” and has agreed to sit with TIPRA Motha over the issue.

TIPRA Motha MLAs raise protest in the well of Tripura Assembly and stage a walkout from the House. (Express photo/Debraj Deb)

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TIPRA Motha MLAs on Tuesday protested in the well of the House before staging a walkout over reports of Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) students who appeared for the Kokborok paper not allowed to write answers in Roman script.

Opposition leader Animesh Debbarma, who moved a Calling Attention on Notice over the issues, said an examination venue supervisor at Ampinagar H/S School in Gomati district compelled candidates to write their Kokborok papers in Bengali script, failing which the answer scripts would not be evaluated. Many candidates, especially those who studied in English medium schools, had to turn in blank papers as they weren’t able to write in Bengali script, he claimed. Debbarma demanded the government allow re-examination and probe the exam venue supervisor responsible for the incident.

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He said his party TIPRA Motha isn’t against writing Kokborok in any script, even French. However, citing the 1961 CM conference with the Kothari Commission that made way for the three-language formula allowing Bengali, Hindi and English to be used in Tripura, and the language amendment act that recognised Kokborok as official language since 1979, Debbarma said students risk losing an academic year if the government didn’t ensure a re-examination.

The Opposition leader also demanded the withdrawal of a letter sent to CBSE from the state education department stating the Kokborok examination should be conducted in Bengali script, and provisions be made for the inclusion of Roman script.

Kokborok, which is the lingua franca of most of Tripura’s 19 tribal communities, is an oral language like most languages indigenous to the region. The debate over what script should Kokborok language follow is several decades old. Kokborok was first recognised as an official state language of Tripura in 1979. Two commissions were set up under former minister Shyama Charan Tripura and linguist Pabitra Sarkar, which recommended the Roman script. Successive Left Front governments, however, preferred Bengali script but allowed Roman script till the debate is resolved.

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After the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) included Kokborok into its curriculum for secondary level in Tripura last year, Roman Script for Kokborok Choba (RSKC) — a conglomerate of 56 tribal organizations expressed concern about statements made by Union Home minister Amit Shah, where he said Hindi would be made compulsory for all NE states and that Hindi would be introduced as a script for Kokborok

While acknowledging the gravity of the issue, Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, who is also in charge of the education department, today said inquiries with the TBSE over this year’s Kokborok examination revealed there was no such report of students being forced to write answers in Bengali script.

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“There was no pressure from the TBSE on candidates regarding preference of script in writing answers for the Kokborok examination like the previous years. However, we have asked the TBSE to look into the matter and we shall conduct a proper investigation into the incident and take necessary actions if needed,” the CM said.

In a significant move, the Chief Minister also said his government is ready to prepare a script for Kokborok in “any Indian language” and has agreed to sit with TIPRA Motha over the issue. While he didn’t name any script in particular, the BJP’s declared preference for the Devanagari script for Kokborok and the CM’s statement on using any Indian language has effectively ruled out the use of Roman script.

“We shall investigate the incident and we want to keep tribals and non-tribals together. Why should differences be made based on scripts. A solution is most welcome,” CM Dr Saha said and appealed to the opposition leader to submit his recommendations.

However, Debbarma insisted on re-examination as the investigation may take time, even a full year, and students who suffered due to the script issue should be granted immediate relief.

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“We want clarification of re-examination and clarification or writing to CBSE. Deputations were given to the board president, chairman. What is there to be investigated? A re-examination has to be assured. The state government should also write to CBSE before March 31 including Roman script for script preference in examinations,” he said.

After a series of exchanges between the treasury and opposition benches, 13 MLAs of the TIPRA Motha party protested near the well and raised slogans demanding that their demands be fulfilled. The Opposition legislators later walked out of the assembly in protest. While opposition CPIM and Congress MLAs seconded the concerns of Motha, they did not join the Motha MLAs in walking out.

“It is a delicate matter. Opposition leader has invoked the CBSE issue and said Bengali and Roman script can be used. If the government agrees, how can a letter saying otherwise be sent to the CBSE? This is a double standard. The CBSE letter may be withdrawn and the state government’s stand may be intimated to the CBSE,” CPIM state secretary and legislative party leader Jitendra Chaudhury told media later today.