New Delhi, Oct 02: For the past couple of days, the plains of New Delhi have been resonating with demands to recognise the Khasi language as an official language under the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. Political parties, pressure groups, and intellectuals have united in unison to express their concerns during the peaceful sit-in protests held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, on Saturday.

The sit-in protest was organized by the Khasi Author Society (KAS) and was attended by Cabinet Ministers, including Health Minister and National People’s Party (NPP) leader, Dr. M Ampareen Lyngdoh, as well as Tourism Minister and United Democratic Party (UDP) working president, Paul Lyngdoh. Former Speakers and UDP Chief, Metbah Lyngdoh, and MLA Renikton Lyngdoh Tongkhar were also part of the sit-in protest. The protest also saw a number of active politicians, including Former Minister and NPP’s leader Hamletson Dohling and Samlin Malngiang, actively supporting this cause.

The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) delegation led by Chairman Lamphang Blah was also part of the protest.

Surprisingly, neither members nor leaders of the Voice of the People Party (VPP) were present during the protest, as they were actively engaged in carrying out their election enrollment drives across the Khasi-Jaiñtia Hills region. No opposition parties participated in this protest, and senior members, including Leaders of Opposition (LO) and Congress MLA Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, along with AITC senior leader Charles Pyngrope, were among those absent from the sit-in demonstration.

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The long-pending demand for the inclusion of the Khasi Language in the Eighth Schedule has been persisting for quite some time. All sections of society have been consistently voicing their concerns to the central government. During Saturday’s protest, a substantial number of pressure groups were also involved in expressing their demands. Leaders of the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Federation of Khasi Jaiñtia and Garo People (FKJGP), Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC), the Jaiñtia Students’ Union (JSU), and others united in one voice, chanting “Ïm ka ktien, ïm ka jaidbynriew,” which resounded loudly at Jantar Mantar.

Groups of Khasi students studying in Delhi also gathered alongside the leaders to voice this demand.

Khasi Author Society (KAS) leader Kynpham Sing Syiem stressed the need for a ‘mass movement’ so that this long-pending demand will come to fruition. The KAS not only organised the sit-in protest but also conducted the National Seminar on ‘Khasi Language, Literature, and Culture’ in Delhi. Syiem stated that the purpose of the national seminar is to bolster this demand and to demonstrate to the Central Government the urgency and seriousness of recognising the Khasi language.

This kind of seminar or protest is the first to be held in the national capital. However, KAS leader Syiem said it will not be the last; KAS will actively engage in more such initiatives. Therefore, Syiem stated that all leaders of political parties, pressure groups, NGOs, and student unions should come together to work towards the same goal.

Stressing on the same point, Cabinet Minister Dr. Ampareen Lyngdoh stressed the need for everyone to come together. Lyngdoh emphasised the need for all political parties in the considerations to come together without personal political considerations, and to collectively work as one force to push forward in achieving this demand.

“…we need to look at gathering enough discussion in the House so that we can highlight to the Government of India that recognition of Khasi language is a long, long dream of the people,” said Lyngdoh.

She said that the incumbent State Government and the past government alike, have taken many Constitutional steps to achieve this dream but, “ none of this seems to be yielding positive results”, said Lyngdoh.

However, the Minister informed that the Khasi language is among the 38 other languages now listed for consideration by the government of India in the amendment of the Eighth Schedule.

“With that information, we seem to be closer to this goal, we should not leave this now and we should continue to build this pressure so that if there are just 38 languages across the country that have been confirmed and are eligible to be recognized as languages of a state, I think that is in itself good information for us,” she concluded.

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