Mahagathbandhan demands ‘official language’ status for Bhojpuri in Bihar
Patna (PTI): The demand for grant of “official language” status to Bhojpuri, arguably the most widely spoken dialect in Bihar, has intensified with the opposition Mahagathbandhan strongly coming out in support of it in the state.
Senior leaders of the RJD, Congress and CPI(ML) Liberation, constituents of the Mahagathbandhan, said they would raise the issue in Parliament.
The old demand got a fresh impetus after the Union Cabinet’s recent decision to accord classical language status to five more languages - Marathi, Bengali, Pali, Prakrit and Assamese.
The number of such languages now is 11, since Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia got the tag earlier.
CPI(ML) Liberation’s Lok Sabha MP Sudama Prasad said, “The language is spoken widely in districts such as Bhojpur, Rohtas, Kaimur, Buxar, Saran, East Champaran, West Champaran, Gopalganj, Siwan and Jehanabad in Bihar, and several parts of Jharkhand. Why is the Centre silent on inclusion of Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution?”
The 8th Schedule of the Constitution now has 22 languages. Fourteen were initially included in the Constitution, while eight more added later.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs website, there are demands for inclusion of 38 more languages in the Eighth Schedule and one of them is Bhojpuri.
“The Nitish Kumar government must send a detailed report to the central government seeking granting of official language status to Bhojpuri. We will raise this issue in the coming session of parliament,” Prasad told PTI.
The NDA government in Bihar as well as at the Centre are giving step-motherly treatment to Bhojpuri speaking people, RJD’s Buxar MP Sudhakar Singh alleged.
“We (Mahagathbandhan) demand immediate inclusion of Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution so that it gets official language status. Earlier, we raised this issue in the state assembly, but the Nitish Kumar government has turned a deaf ear towards it,” said the RJD MP.
Senior Congress leader and MLA Sanjay Kumar Tiwary alias Munna Tiwary said it is one of the oldest demands of the people who speak Bhojpuri.
“Scheduled status brings certain advantages to a language. It makes it mandatory for the government to take measures for the development of a scheduled language so that it grows and becomes an effective means of communication in due course of time,” Tiwary said.
Responding to the demand of Mahagathbandhan leaders, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Vjay Kumar Chaudhary told PTI that the demand for the official language status to a language must be backed with substantial facts.
“No one can deny official language status to any language if the demand is based on substantial facts," Chaudhary said.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
