Agartala, Aug. 11: In a new twist to the controversy over a script for the tribal Kokborok language, the Left Front government in Tripura has decided to stick to the Bengali script despite recommendations for the Roman script by the language commission headed by West Bengal scholar Pabitra Sarkar.

The stand of the government vis-a-vis the recommendations of the commission was announced by senior tribal leader and executive member of the Autonomous District Council (ADC) in charge of education Radhacharan Debbarma. While speaking to newspersons in his official chamber at the ADC headquarters in Khumlung, Debbarma said he was unaware of the precise nature of the commission?s recommendations. But he ruled out introduction of the Roman script for Kokborok.

?I have come to know that the commission has made no specific recommendation but only recorded the views of a cross-section of the tribal people, including senior intellectuals,? Debbarma said. He added that the ADC authorities and the state government would stick to the familiar and well-known Bengali script.

?Whatever the commission may say, the final decision will be taken by the ADC and the state government. We are going to stick to the Bengali script which the tribal students and the common people understand far better.?

The executive member averred that leading tribal intellectuals and educationists ruled in favour of continuing with the Bengali script at a seminar at the ADC headquarters yesterday.

?Tripura is a bilingual state with Bengali and Kokborok co-existing side by side. Hence the Bengali script, which was introduced way back in the early Seventies, should be retained,? Debbarma said.

On the INPT demand for the Roman script, he said, ?Those who are interested in English or the Roman script can study in English medium schools. We have no objection to that.?

He added that from the next academic year, the ADC would phase out the Roman script and re-introduce the Bengali one.

Meanwhile, the stand of the Left Front government and CPM-controlled ADC on the script issue has triggered a major controversy with the Opposition INPT coming out in strong protest. ?We will oppose the move tooth and nail. The Left is resorting to linguistic chauvinism and trying to impose the Bengali script on us,? INPT president Bijay Kumar Hrangkhawl said. He pointed out that the Front would violate the recommendations of its own commission by sticking to the Bengali script. ?We will soon take to the streets and launch a statewide agitation on the issue,? Hrangkhawl said. The Movement for Kokborok, an umbrella organisation formed by pro-INPT tribal intellectuals, has also decided to protest the move to retain the Bengali script for the language.