Khasi language was used for the first time in the Meghalaya Assembly today by two opposition MLAs, who had opposed Governor Ganga Prasad's address in Hindi during the opening of the budget session.
Khasi and Garo along with English are associate official languages for use in the state assembly, but English has always been the preferred choice of legislators as it is most widely understood among the two.
Speaker Donkupar Roy today permitted the opposition legislators to speak in their mother tongue Khasi, but some ruling party MLAs expressed concern over it.
Congress MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh and Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) legislator Adelbert Nongrum sought the speaker's permission to speak in Khasi.
Roy allowed the MLAs to move ahead with a condition that English translation of their speeches be distributed to the members of the House.
The Congress MLA had staged a walkout from the assembly on Friday last after the governor's address in Hindi and had threatened to speak in Khasi in the House.
After her deliberation in Khasi, KHNAM legislator Adelbert Nongrum too participated in the debate in Khasi.
Though the translated version of the opposition MLAs' speeches were provided to all members in the House, other members specially from the ruling National People's Party expressed concern over it following the governor's address in Hindi.
NCP legislator Saleng A Sangma said, "It is sad on my part to see that we are having differences in the House and this is not healthy. I can see that the brotherhood is moving away from us."
Hill State People Democratic Party (HSPDP) legislator Renikton Lyngdoh urged the members not to be "emotional" just because the governor addressed the non-Hindi members in Hindi.
"The governor was not comfortable speaking in English (and spoke in Hindi). Let us not get emotional because it is unfortunate if we are trying to minimise the dignity of the House. Let us communicate in the language we all understand (English)," he said.
Pointing out at Ampareen Lyngdoh, who has been a minister for the past 10 years with rich experience, the HSPDP MLA said, "It will be a great loss to the House if she continues to speak in Khasi."
Later, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma told journalists that those comfortable speaking in English should continue to speak in that language as it is more healthy for the working of the House.
Roy told PTI, "This is the first time that Khasi or any other official language of the state other than English has been used during Assembly proceeding."
He also said that the governor had addressed the house on Friday, the first day of the budget session in Hindi and a translation of it was circulated among the members. "That was also a first but the governor was more comfortable in Hindi and preferred to use it."
Asked to comment, Ampareen Lyngdoh said that it was a privilege for her to be able to speak in Khasi in the floor of the House.
"This is one step closer to ensure inclusion of Khasi language in the eighth schedule to the Constitution," she said.
Khasi is spoken by most of the 1.6 million tribals in Meghalaya. The language is also spoken by a large number of people in the hill districts of Assam bordering Meghalaya and by a sizeable population of Bangladesh.
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