Shillong, Aug 2: TMC MP Sudip Bandopadhyay on Monday raised the need to include Garo and Khasi languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution, in the Parliament.
“It is the inclusion of the Garo and Khasi language in the eighth schedule that I would like to talk about. Article 29 of the constitution states that a section of citizens having a distinct language, script, or culture has the right to conserve the same. Under the Meghalaya State Legislature Act 2005, Garo and Khasi have been declared associate official languages”, he said.
He said Khasi is an Astro-Asiatic language spoken primarily among the tribe in Meghalaya and hilly areas of Assam.
“Garo is a Tibeto-Burmese language of the Boro-Jingpko group, spoken in Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland. According to the Census 2011, there are over 13 lakh (46.5%) Khasi speakers and 9 lakh (31.5%) Garo speakers. The issue in inclusion of the two languages has been the lack of their own original scripts”, he said.
On September 27, 2018, the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly adopted a resolution to petition the Centre to include the Khasi and Garo language in the eighth schedule to the Constitution.
“We urge the union government to take cognisance of the state’s demand to include Garo and Khasi in the eighth schedule”, Sudip Bandopadhyay said.
Earlier on July 26, a delegation of Meghalaya TMC leaders, comprising Mukul Sangma and MLA George Lyngdoh along with TMC MPs held a protest outside the Parliament demanding the inclusion of Garo and Khasi languages in the Eighth Schedule and the repeal of the Assam Meghalaya border pact.
Addressing the press, Sangma had stated, “Language is an indispensable part of identity. The Garo and Khasi inclusion would increase job opportunities for the youth of the state.”
A day earlier, on July 25, TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien had written to the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha to discuss the matter pertaining to the languages of Meghalaya.
In his letter he stated, “The recurring denial of Garo and Khasi languages as official languages of this country, shows the second hand treatment that the Central Government portrays towards North-East in general and Meghalaya in particular. I condemn the current Meghalaya Government and the Union Government for their continued apathy and ignorance towards the sentiments of people of the state”.
Slamming the MDA Government over the issue of unemployment, he added, “Inclusion of these two languages will benefit the people of the state as a recognised language nationally that can be taught in high schools, used as a second language for competitive examinations, and open more job opportunities for them.”
