Two months before elections to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), fissures within the ruling coalition have widened, with allies BJP and TIPRA Motha finding themselves at odds.
While neither side has publicly cited a major ideological break, a long-simmering debate over the official script of Kokborok — the lingua franca of most of Tripura’s indigenous communities — has emerged as a key flashpoint, alongside growing distrust over the implementation of a landmark accord.
Founded in 2021, TIPRA Motha initially centred its politics around the demand for a separate tribal state, Greater Tipraland. Over time, the party softened its stand, focusing on land rights, customary laws, linguistic recognition and economic development through negotiations with the Centre and the state government.
That shift culminated in the tripartite Tiprasa Accord signed in March 2024 between TIPRA Motha, the Union government, and the Tripura government. The agreement promised an “amicable solution” to issues concerning land, language, socio-economic development, and political rights of tribals, with implementation envisaged within six months. Nearly two years on, progress on the ground has been limited to meetings and committee formations — echoing the fate of a similar accord signed with BJP’s former tribal ally, the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), in 2018.
Key flashpoint
TIPRA Motha has advocated the use of Roman script for Kokborok, a language spoken by several of Tripura’s 19 recognised tribal communities. While the BJP was always in favour of ‘Indian-origin scripts’, it did not oppose the demand in public, extending leniency saying it was the demand of another party and they wouldn’t comment on it, the party’s position hardened in recent months, particularly after Chief Minister Manik Saha publicly ruled out Roman script and suggested the adoption of Devanagari or the creation of an entirely new indigenous script.
TIPRA Motha supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma responded, accusing “outsiders” of interfering in the linguistic choices of indigenous communities and asserting that his party would not compromise on the issue.
The tensions have escalated close to the TTAADC elections. The council is due to go to polls by April 18. While the State Election Commission has yet to announce dates, political mobilisation has already intensified.
Around 30% of Tripura’s 37 lakh population is from 19 tribal communities with most of them living in the areas falling under the TTAADC, which is spread across 7,132.56 square km and covers nearly 70% of the state’s area.
Control of the TTAADC has historically had a significant bearing on Assembly elections. Of Tripura’s 60 Assembly seats, 20 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes.
The TIPRA Motha swept the 2021 TTAADC elections in its electoral debut, winning 18 of 28 seats. The BJP won nine seats, though several of its members later defected to the Motha. Saha has made it clear that the BJP will contest all seats independently, stating that the alliance with TIPRA Motha is limited to the state level.
A long-running debate
Kokborok was recognised as an official language of Tripura in 1979. Since then, successive language commissions — in 1990, 1997, and 2004 — have recommended the Roman script. A fourth committee, formed in 2018 under the BJP government, focused on the overall development of the language rather than the script question.
While earlier governments preferred Bengali script or kept options open, tribal organisations allege a recent push towards Devanagari, particularly after Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s advocacy of the script in 2024. This triggered protests from Kokborok activists, who argued that script choice should rest with speakers of the language.
The issue has also surfaced repeatedly during Tripura Board of Secondary Education (TBSE) examinations, with demands for question papers in Roman script.
On January 27, Saha rejected the demand. “We shall never allow Roman script for Kokborok,” he said, arguing that it threatened indigenous culture and urged tribal intellectuals to develop a novel script of their own. He cited the Chakma community as an example.
The TIPRA Motha countered that denying the Roman script would place students at a disadvantage. Debbarma said children risked failing exams if they could not read question papers, adding that his party was only seeking the option of Roman script alongside existing scripts.
Tensions escalated further after the TIPRA Motha claimed TBSE officials had indicated that this year’s question papers were already set without Roman script, with consideration deferred to next year. The board has not issued any official clarification.
Tension in ruling alliance
The ruling alliance has been under strain for months. Last August, BJP supporters were attacked in Asharambari while listening to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann Ki Baat. Days later, a BJP worker was assaulted in Sepahijala district, prompting Saha to blame the TIPRA Motha for “violent and undemocratic” actions.
In July, TIPRA Motha MLA Ranjit Debbarma had warned that the party was “almost ready” to withdraw support to the government over delays in implementing the Tiprasa accord. Though he later retracted the statement, party leaders acknowledged growing frustration among tribals.
Both parties have also accused each other of poaching workers, while a statewide strike called by TIPRA Motha in October — a day before the PM’s visit — led to violence, further souring relations.
Where others stand
The IPFT, the BJP’s other tribal ally, has condemned the CM’s remarks. “The demand for Roman script represents the sentiment of the entire Tripuri community. The CM should speak wisely or remain silent,” IPFT general secretary Swapan Debbarma said.
The Opposition CPI(M) has backed the Roman script demand. “If the Roman script is a foreign conspiracy, why promote English-medium education?” the party asked.
Language expert and Padma Shri awardee Naresh Chandra Debbarma has offered a nuanced view, supporting Bengali script while noting that Kokborok could be transcribed in multiple scripts if phonological requirements were met.