SHILLONG: The Cabinet on Friday approved a proposal to bring a resolution for inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule.
The resolution will be brought during the ongoing autumn session after which it will be forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said.
Asserting that Meghalaya has two prominent languages, Tynsong said the issue “has to be pushed to the Centre”, adding that “when people from here go to Garo Hills, they have to speak in English and vice versa”.
The Khasi Authors’ Society has called a massive rally on Saturday to press for its demand for the recognition of the Khasi language.
The Society had claimed that the language can fulfil all the criteria as listed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, from crossing the criteria of having 5 lakh people who speak the language and being a link language to the alphabets that is 176 years old to teaching of a language right from nursery to PhD.
Languages issue raised in Assembly
Congress legislator PT Sawkmie on Friday made a failed attempt to raise the issue of recognition to Khasi and Garo languages on the first day of the Autumn Session of the Assembly on Friday.
The Opposition Chief Whip intervened when Chief Minister Conrad Sangma was introducing a Bill in the House and spoke about the need to move a resolution in the House for the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong pointed to the business schedule list and said, “We are still in this item and we are yet to complete it.”
However, Sawkmie refused to listen and said he was raising a point of order as per rule. At this point, the chief minister said, “There has to be a point before you raise a point of order. Right now, the government business is going on.”
Sangma said the member (Sawkmie) must realise that the procedure of the House needs to be followed and there is a time to discuss important issues.
Sawkmie pointed out that his microphone was not working prompting Speaker Donkupar Roy to ask Sawkmie to shift to a vacant chair beside him.
He also pointed out that a rally will be organised on Saturday to demand recognition for Khasi language and it was necessary to raise the matter.
The Speaker, however, disallowed any further discussion on the matter.
