Strong plea for promotion of all languages was made in the Lok Sabha on the international mother language day today, as members made a fervent appeal for inclusion of Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
The members also paid tributes to three students of Dhaka University - Jabbar, Hyder and Rafiq - who had laid down their lives in police firing on this day in 1952 while protesting against the Pakistan government and demanding Bangla be accorded the official language status.
The day is observed as the International Mother Language Day to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
Maintaining that the "rich and sweet" language was spoken by 250 million people in all states in India and 17 other nations, he said the government has promised the House "five times over the past several years" on the issue but has taken no action.
Members, cutting across party lines, supported him as he urged the government to make a statement. As no such statement came, he said the next government should take up the matter in the very first session itself.
BJD MP Bhratruhari Mahtab chose to speak in Odia, which was accorded a classical language status by the Union Cabinet yesterday, thanked the government for the decision which had made the people in Odisha very happy.
The other languages granted such status were Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu, he said.
Mahtab also reminded that February 21 was the day when three Dhaka University students had laid down their lives for the sake of their language.
He was joined by CPI(M) member Ramchandra Dome in paying tributes to the martyrs of the 1952 'Bhasha Andolan' in Dhaka.
He was joined by CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta and Trinamool Congress member Sougata Roy.
The members also paid tributes to three students of Dhaka University - Jabbar, Hyder and Rafiq - who had laid down their lives in police firing on this day in 1952 while protesting against the Pakistan government and demanding Bangla be accorded the official language status.
The day is observed as the International Mother Language Day to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
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It was first announced by UNESCO on November 17, 1999. Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Prabhunath Singh (RJD) said the government, even on the last day of the 15th Lok Sabha, should make a statement assuring that Bhojpuri would be accorded the official language status.
Maintaining that the "rich and sweet" language was spoken by 250 million people in all states in India and 17 other nations, he said the government has promised the House "five times over the past several years" on the issue but has taken no action.
Members, cutting across party lines, supported him as he urged the government to make a statement. As no such statement came, he said the next government should take up the matter in the very first session itself.
BJD MP Bhratruhari Mahtab chose to speak in Odia, which was accorded a classical language status by the Union Cabinet yesterday, thanked the government for the decision which had made the people in Odisha very happy.
The other languages granted such status were Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu, he said.
Mahtab also reminded that February 21 was the day when three Dhaka University students had laid down their lives for the sake of their language.
He was joined by CPI(M) member Ramchandra Dome in paying tributes to the martyrs of the 1952 'Bhasha Andolan' in Dhaka.
He was joined by CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta and Trinamool Congress member Sougata Roy.