Bodo becomes associate official language in Assam

GUWAHATI: The Assam Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed 'The Assam Official Language (Amendment) Bill, 2020'; and with this development Bodo has become an "associate official language" in the State. This Bill was placed in the House by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on the first day of the three day winter session of the House.

Participating in the debate on the Bill, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha (INC) said, "We don't have any objection to Bodo being recognised as 'associate official language'. But, the Bill must also include Bengali in the list. This is needed as Assam has more than 90 lakh population whose mother tongue is Bengali. Replying to Purkayastha, Minister Patowary said, "The Bodo language has been included in the list as per the BTR (Bodo Territorial Region) Accord signed on January 27, 2020. Moreover, it was already an official language in the erstwhile BTAD (Bodoland Territorial Area Districts).

"The Bengali language is already an official language in the three districts of Barak Valley – Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi."

Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, "The tribal people of Assam are sons of the soil. When these people are granted some privileges, nobody should raise any objection in the House. Besides, Bengali is a rich global language. If it is recognised as an associate official language in a State, probably the Bengali-speaking people themselves would not support the move."

Brindaban Goswami (AGP) welcomed the move as a "step taken in the right direction".

Finally, Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia withdrew the demand made by Purkayastha.

OTHER BILLS PASSED: The House also passed the following 10 Bills that placed in the House earlier on Monday, viz., The 'Bodo Kachari Welfare Autonomous Council Bill-2020'; 'The Assam Tea Plantations Provident Fund & Pension Fund & Deposit Linked Insurance Fund Scheme (Amendment) Bill, 2020'; 'The Assam Ease of Doing Business (Amendment) Bill, 2020'; 'The Assam Taxation (Liquidation of Arrear Dues) (Second Amendment) Bill, 2020'; 'The Assam Micro Finance Institutions (Regulation of Money Lending) Bill, 2020'; 'The Assam Education (Provincialisation of Services of Non-Teaching Staff of Venture Educational Institutions) (Amendment) Bill, 2020'; 'The Moran Autonomous Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020'; 'The Matak Autonomous Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020'; 'The Kamatapur Autonomous Council (Amendment) Bill, 2020'; and 'The Assam Repealing Bill, 2020'.

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