Agartala, June 22:Following the footsteps of various tribal student and youth organizations such as TISF and TSF, the Tipra Women Federation (TWF), the women’s wing of the main opposition party TIPRA Motha, declared on Thursday that they would initiate a large-scale movement to demand the adoption of the Roman script for Kokborok.
During a press conference in Agartala, TWF Secretary Sharmila Debbarma, alongside TIPRA Motha MLA Swapna Debbarma and other senior leaders, stated that they planned to organize a demonstration called “Raj Bhavan Abhiya” on June 24.
The purpose of the protest is to highlight the longstanding demand for the Roman script for Kokborok, which has remained unaddressed for more than five decades.
Sharmila Debbarma mentioned that tribal women from across the state would participate in the Raj Bhavan Abhiya.
They will gather at the stable ground and march towards the Governor’s House to submit a memorandum to Governor Satyadev Narayan Arya, urging him to fulfill their demand for the Roman script in the Kokborok language.
Debbarma emphasized that the demand to adopt the Roman or English script for Kokborok has been an unresolved issue for over five decades, despite the majority of the indigenous population favoring the Roman script. Previous governments have failed to address this matter.
She also expressed her view that a few political parties are politicizing the issue, even though it is not political in nature but essential for the existence of the indigenous people, as the absence of a script jeopardizes the language’s future.
