Samirul Islam of the Trinamool Congress on Thursday demanded in the Rajya Sabha that the Rajbanshi-Kamtapuri and Kurmali languages be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Speaking during the question hour in the Upper House, the MP urged the Centre to take prompt steps to fulfil the long-standing demand.
“The Rajbanshi-Kamtapuri language is spoken across several regions of the country, including north Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Bihar. In 2018, the Bengal Assembly granted official recognition to these languages. Cultural academies and development boards were formed, and the languages became subjects for study in university programmes and in government colleges,” said Islam.
“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has taken consistent initiatives for the preservation and development of these languages. Now it is time to include them in the Eighth Schedule,” he added.
Islam also demanded enhanced constitutional recognition for Kurmali, a language spoken in the Jangalmahal region.
“Kurmali is spoken not only in West Bengal’s Jangalmahal but also in Jharkhand, Odisha, and Assam. In 2018, the language received official recognition from the state. Respecting the sentiments of the Kurmi community, we will continue this fight inside and outside Parliament over the demand,” said the MP.
Islam’s speech shows that Trinamool is attempting to exert pressure on the Centre and the BJP by highlighting the Bengal government’s initiatives for these languages, particularly because the Assembly elections are ahead.
Several cultural organisations and community groups have been demanding for years the inclusion of the two languages in the Eighth Schedule.
Although Trinamool performed well in north Bengal in the 2011 and 2016 Assembly elections, over time, a considerable section of Rajbanshis shifted to the BJP.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, Trinamool could bag 23 of 54 seats, while the BJP emerged victorious in 30 constituencies. In the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP bagged seven and six (of eight) Parliament seats, respectively.
The Rajbanshi population is more in Cooch Behar, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur among all north Bengal districts. Around 60 lakh people of the Nashya Sheikh community (Rajbanshi Muslims) also live in the region.
Trinamool’s ally, the Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association, led by Bangshibadan Barman, had recently demanded that the ruling party allocate 25 seats in north Bengal for them, failing which they might reconsider their support.
Against this backdrop, Mamata, during her recent visit to Cooch Behar, offered floral tributes to Panchanan Barma, the most revered statesman of the Rajbanshi community, and promised to protect the region’s people.
“It is evident that Trinamool intends to mount pressure on the BJP on the language issue, which is a longstanding demand of the Rajbanshi and the Kurmi community. Trinamool leaders are highlighting that the state has granted official recognition to the languages, and now, the Centre will have to act,” said a political veteran in Cooch Behar.