TIPRA Motha presses for TTAADC elections, raises kokborok script issue
TMP Spokesperson demanded elections to the TTAADC be held before the current term ends in April 2026
File image of TMP spokesperson Chandra Kumar Jamatia (Photo: meta)
Agartala, Jan 16: A delegation of the TIPRA Motha Party (TMP), an ally of the BJP-led coalition Government in Tripura, on Thursday met Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha and urged him to ensure that elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) are held before the expiry of its current tenure, a party leader said.
The present five-year term of the TTAADC is scheduled to end on April 18.
TMP spokesperson CK Jamatia told the press that a five-member delegation, led by TTAADC executive member Rabindra Debbarma, met the Chief Minister at his residence and discussed several key issues concerning tribal governance and cultural development.
Jamatia said that the delegation specifically demanded that the TTAADC elections be conducted in a timely manner, without allowing any administrative vacuum after the end of the current council’s tenure.
Debbarma said that the delegation also submitted a memorandum seeking adoption of the Roman script for the Kokborok language, terming it crucial for the overall development and wider acceptance of the mother tongue of most tribal communities in the State.
“It seems that the Chief Minister has softened his stand on the demand for the Roman script, and we hope he will take a proper decision on the issue,” Debbarma said.
He added that the Chief Minister advised the delegation to approach the chairpersons of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) in Delhi to pursue introduction of the Roman script for Kokborok.
Debbarma said that after consultations with TMP founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, a party delegation would soon visit Delhi to meet the CBSE and ICSE heads in this regard.
He also pointed out that the TTAADC has already introduced the Roman script for Kokborok in schools under its jurisdiction, while students in State-run educational institutions are currently allowed to write the subject in both Bengali and Roman scripts.