NEW DELHI, Dec 23: Flooded with demands for recognition of languages under the Eight Schedule of the Constitution, the Government of India has decided to bring out a comprehensive list of languages in consultation with linguistic experts, Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani disclosed here today. He was replying to a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the Constitution (One-hundredth Amendment) Bill that proposes to give recognition to Bodo, Santhali, Bhojpuri, Maithili and Dogri languages under the Eight Schedule of the Constitution. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha yesterday. The decision to bring out a comprehensive list has been taken in view of more and more demands being raised for recognition, the Deputy Prime Minister said.
Earlier, several members representing various political parties, welcomed the Bill leading to its unanimous passage. Participating in the discussion, UG Brahma said that it was a memorable day for the people of the country for several languages spoken by the tribal communities have been included in the Eight Schedule. ?The Bodo people have been fighting for recognition of the language since decades. It has been a serious issue, rather, it was the root cause of the crisis in the Bodo society,? he added. He mentioned that the language was spoken in Assam, Nagaland, Meghalaya and some parts of North Bengal and Bangladesh.
The lone Bodo MP further thanked the NDA Government at the Centre for understanding the gravity of the issue, assuring that the move would strengthen the unity of the nation. Those who participated in the discussion included Laloo Prasad Yadav, Arjun Singh, Natwar Singh, LM Singhvi besides General (retd) Shankar Roy Choudhury among others.