Shillong MP unsatisfied with Union Minister's 'vague' reply to question on inclusion of Khasi language

SHILLONG: 

Union Minister of State in charge of Home Affairs Ministry Nityanand Rai failed to provide a definite reply to Shillong MP Vincent H Pala's question on whether the Khasi Language is on the list to be recognised as one of the languages in the 8th Schedule. 

In his reply to an unstarred question raised by Lok Sabha MP Pala in the Parliament on July 27, Rai said there have been demands from time to time for inclusion of Khasi in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution and, the Central Government had received a proposal in this regard.

It may be mentioned that the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly had in 2018 passed a unanimous resolution to urge the Centre to include the Khasi and Garo languages in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

"As the evolution of dialects and languages is a dynamic process influenced by socio-cultural, economic and political developments, it is difficult to fix any criteria for languages, whether to distinguish them from dialects or for their inclusion in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution," the written reply read. 

Furthermore, he said the earlier attempts, through the Pahwa (1996) and Sitakant Mohapatra (2003) Committees, to evolve such fixed criteria have been inconclusive.

He, however, stated that the Government of India is conscious of the sentiments and requirements for the inclusion of other languages in the Eighth Schedule. 

"Such requests have to be considered keeping in mind the sentiments, and the other relevant considerations," Rai said.

The reply, however, did not appease the Shillong MP. "The question was clear but the answer is vague," Pala said on Friday. 

When asked whether he was satisfied with the reply, he replied in the negative.

(Edited by Ibankyntiew Mawrie)

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