Shillong, Dec 18: Lack of political will was the reason behind the delay in incorporating Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, remarked the general secretary of Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) Donald V. Thabah on the occasion to mark the 80th death anniversary of noted Khasi bard, Babu Soso Tham on Friday.
Speaking at a gathering at State Central Library where the bust of late Tham is erected, Thabah slammed previous and current political leaders for not taking the matter seriously.
“The root of the problem is that there is no political will on the part of the politicians then and now to take action so as to get Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution”, he said.
Referring to the resolution passed by the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly in 2018 for inclusion of Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule and the Inner Line Permit resolution passed in 2019, he said that the aspirations of the people end in resolutions.
He observed that if Khasi language is incorporated in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, then the Khasis are able to compete in competitive examinations in Khasi.
Pointing to the demand in Assam to make Assamese the second language and Bengali the first language, Thabah warned that such a demand should not be replicated in the state of Meghalaya.
“Such demands will not be allowed here in Hynniewtrep land. The official language is English and Khasi is the associate language. It is required to make the Khasi language the first language in the state to ensure that the language is preserved”, he said.
As the union is also a part of the pro-ILP group and have all along been vocal about tackling illegal immigration and protection of the indigenous tribal communities in the state of Meghalaya, Thabah said that the varied literary works of Soso Tham are an inspiration to the members of the union and other activists.
He said that the union would quote Soso Tham’s saying every now and then to get the much needed moral push in its endeavour to work for the protection of the indigenous community.
Evening school
The president of KSU, Lambok Marngar also inaugurated an evening school called Soso Tham Memorial Secondary School in Lawsohtun, Block 6 on the occasion of the death anniversary of Soso Tham.
The evening school is open to all and it is for classes 8, 9 and 10 with a capacity of 30 students in each class and the teachers will teach at the evening school for free.
