Asam Sahitya Sabha (ASS) today termed the recent demand made by the Bodo Sahitya Sabha to declare Bodo as the official language in the Bodoland Territorial Area districts as "unconstitutional".
"The recent demand by the Bodo Sahitya Sabha to declare Bodo the first language in five districts under the Bodo Territorial Council (BTC) is not acceptable as it will lead to a divide between the Bodos and non-Bodos residing in these areas," Sabha President Dhrubajyoti Bora told reporters here.
Moreover, according to official data available, there are more children studying in Assamese medium schools from primary to Class 8 and imposing Bodo as first language and medium of instruction is "arbitrary and against the interest of other indigenous communities of the state," he said.
"Asam Sahitya Sabha has always supported development of all languages and is against the hegemony of any particular language over others," Bora said.
The Sabha maintained that the first language of any individual should always be the mother tongue and it is their constitutional right to receive education in their resepctive mother tongue, he said.
The Bodo Sahitya Sabha's demand to delegate Assamese as the third language in BTAD is just "not acceptable to us and we condemn it strongly. We will approach both the Central and state government and, if necessary, take legal recourse in this regard," he said.
The Asam Sahitya Sabha will also keep a strict vigil on how the approach of the local administration towards Assamese medium schools, particularly in the case of infrastructure development and appointment of teachers, the Sabha President added.
