Manipur CM Express Gratitude to Himanta Biswa Sarma for Making Manipuri an Official Language in Assam

GUWAHATI : Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh thanked his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma for declaring Manipuri as an Associate Official Language in Assam.

CM Singh, during a telephonic conversation with Sarma, conveyed his gratitude and said it would go a long way in preserving the language and culture of the Manipuri community in Assam.

Singh said the declaration of Manipuri as an Associate Official Language would definitely help the Manipuri community in Assam preserve their language and culture for times to come.

He also thanked Sarma for assuring that Manipuri-speaking candidates, who appear in different examinations in Assam, would soon be allowed to write those exams in their mother tongue.

Assam Chief Minister Sarma, in reply, said that the government is committed to bringing opportunities to the doorstep of the Manipuri community. He added that the communities of all Sister States are tied by the common value system and reaffirmed his government's resolve in ensuring that the Manipuri community in Assam got every opportunity for growth and development.

Earlier, on August 29, the Assam Government had passed the Assam Official Language Amendment Bill, 2024, declaring Manipuri as an Associate Official Language in four districts of the state. The move, dubbed historic, was in response to the long-pending demand by the Manipuri-speaking population from Barak Valley in particular.

The Bill was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika on behalf of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The Bill, that was introduced in the House on August 22, accorded the status of Associate Official Language to Manipuri along with Assamese in the three districts of Barak Valley — Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj — as well as in Hojai district in central Assam.

The Chief Minister Sarma highlighted the fact that a sizeable number of people inhabiting Barak Valley and other areas of Assam speak Manipuri.

He also pointed out that the demand to accord Manipuri the status of an official language had been raised time and again, while reiterating the government's firm resolve to protect the cultural and linguistic identity of every community residing in the state.

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