Agartala: A delegation of the Tipra Motha Party (TMP), an ally of the BJP-led coalition government in Tripura, met Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday and demanded that elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) be held on time.
The current five-year tenure of the TTAADC is scheduled to expire on April 18.
“A five-member delegation of our party, headed by TTAADC executive member Rabindra Debbarma, met the Chief Minister at his residence and discussed several important issues,” TMP spokesperson C K Jamatia said.
He said the delegation urged the Chief Minister to ensure that the TTAADC elections are conducted before the completion of its term.
Debbarma said the delegation also submitted a memorandum to Saha seeking the adoption of the Roman script for the Kokborok language. He described the demand as crucial for the overall development and promotion of the mother tongue of most tribal communities in the state.
“The Chief Minister appears to have softened his stand on the Roman script demand, and we hope he will take a realistic step on the issue,” Debbarma said.
He added that Saha advised the delegation to meet the chairpersons of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) in New Delhi to pursue the introduction of the Roman script for Kokborok in their curricula.
“After consultation with party founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, a party delegation will soon visit Delhi to meet the heads of CBSE and ICSE regarding the adoption of the Roman script for the Kokborok language,” Debbarma said.
He further stated 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 either Bengali or Roman scripts.
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The TMP leaders expressed hope that concrete steps would be taken soon to address both the election schedule and the long-pending language issue.
