The Twipra Students’ Federation (TSF), the influential tribal students’ body in Tripura, on late Sunday evening announced the withdrawal of its indefinite statewide agitation, including road blockade, in Tripura from Monday after a crucial meeting with Chief Minister Manik Saha.
A five-member TSF delegation, led by Vice-President John Debbarma and General Secretary Hamalu Jamatia, after the meeting with the Chief Minister expressed satisfaction with the discussions and conveyed optimism about a resolution to their demand for the adoption of the Roman script for tribal Kokborok language.
The Chief Minister after the meeting with the TSF leaders said in a post on his X handle : “Fruitful meeting with the Twipra Students Federation (TSF) delegation this evening! They shared their concerns and I assured them that we’ll work together to find solutions. I appreciate their passion for ‘Ek Tripura, Viksit Tripura’ and commitment to our state’s overall development. Looking forward to collaborative efforts towards a brighter future for Tripura!”
While talking with the media after the meeting with Saha, TSF General Secretary Jamatia said that the Chief Minister has assured us that he would discuss their demand with the cabinet and other leaders.
“Since he has taken the initiative to call us for discussions, we are hopeful that he will genuinely look into the matter. Hence, we are temporarily withdrawing the strike,” Jamatia said.
He further clarified that the TSF is not demanding the inclusion of Kokborok language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, asserting that script selection remains a state subject and can be resolved at the state level without any constitutional amendments.
The agitations over the script for Kokborok language has been going on for many years in Tripura, with various tribal organisations and political entities often weighing in on the debate.
The withdrawal of the state-wide agitation including road blockade marks a temporary pause in the agitation, but the TSF leadership has indicated that they will form a committee to closely monitor the state government’s actions before taking the next course of actions.
Meanwhile, Tripura Chief Minister on Friday said that the state government would not compromise with students’ future and would resolve the tribal ‘Kokborok’ language script issue soon.
The Chief Minister in his statement on the first day of the week-long Budget session, had said that the government is sincerely studying the ‘Kokborok’ language script issue and would resolve the issue soon.
“There were detailed discussions, and a series of talks were held on the issue. We questioned why the Roman script and why not the Devanagari script to write in the ‘Kokborok’ language? Many discussions took place, but no concrete decision was made. Several agitations and protests were held for many years. The leadership also met with me and we discussed the matter. As per the recent tripartite agreement, this script issue is also included, and talks are ongoing,” Saha had told the House.
The Chief Minister’s statement in the Assembly comes after the TSF on Friday held a day-long demonstration demanding the adoption of the Roman script for tribal Kokborok language, and blockade the main VIP road leading to the Agartala Airport, Assembly, Civil Secretariat, High Court and other government installations.
The protest coincided with the first day of Tripura Assembly’s budget Session, intensifying their decades-old demand for script reform for Kokborok language.
