Tarun Gogoi

Silchar/Kokrajhar, Sept. 10: Organisations in the Barak Valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi today welcomed the withdrawal of the controversial government circular on the use of Assamese as official language in the area.

However, the Bodo Sahitya Sabha slammed the decision, saying it was a “shameless act by the chief minister to stay in power”.

The state government had yesterday issued a press statement announcing the withdrawal of the circular (number PLC 14/2011/39 dated November 30, 2013) that created confusion in some areas was not actually meant for Barak valley.

The withdrawal of the circular with immediate effect, barely a few days ahead of bypolls in three Assembly seats, including Silchar and Lakhipur constituencies in Barak Valley, has raised eyebrows in political circles.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi had yesterday asked the state home department to withdraw the circular with immediate effect. A fresh circular said the official language of Barak Valley, which is Bengali, would continue to be used for all official work.

Sources said the Congress government took the decision with an eye on the bypolls in Silchar and Lakhipur, which are dominated by Bengali-speaking population. The chief minister, after his recent visit to Barak Valley for election campaigning, was made aware about the widespread resentment among the people about the circular.

Goutam Prasad Dutta, general secretary of the Barak Upatyaka Banga Shahitya and Sanskriti Sanmelan, in a press statement today expressed satisfaction at the prompt withdrawal of the circular stating it market yet another milestone in the struggle of the people of the valley in safeguarding their language.

Kamal Uddin Ahmed, president of the Karimganj-based Barak Upaytaka Matribhasha Surakha Samity and former principal of Karimganj College, welcomed the step and said the circular was basically opposed to the amended state language notification in 1961 making it mandatory for use of Bengali in the Barak valley along with English.

Cachar Matribhasha Suraksha Samity president Mihir Lal Roy also welcomed the decision.

Earlier, the Barak Banga’s 34th annual conference at Ramkrishnanagar in Karimganj district on August 10 had called an agitation against the circular.

The AGP today criticised Dispur for withdrawing the circular saying the ruling Congress government had taken the decision with an eye on the bypolls and warned the government not to play politics with Assamese.

The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has also criticised the government’s decision to withdraw the circular.

In Kokrajhar, Bodo Sahitya Sabha general secretary Kamalakanta Muchahary said the step proved that Gogoi would do “anything” to stay in power.

“We fear that if some ‘anti-Bodo’ force tomorrow demands withdrawal of the Bodo language in the BTAD, he will readily agree to the demand,” he said.

Muchahary also slammed organisations and leaders who were crying foul over Assamese not being used in the BTAD and said: “Assamese is growing stronger in the Bodoland region since the creation of the BTC.”

He said more Assamese-medium schools had been provincialised, compared to Bodo-medium ones.

According to him, in Kokrajhar district, of the 165 lower primary schools provincialised in the first phase, 126 are Assamese, 15 Bodo and 24 mixed-medium schools.

In Chirang, of the total 110 schools, 43 are Bodo, 50 Assamese and 17 mixed-medium.

“In Baksa, 266 schools were provincialised, of which 153 are Assamese-medium, 68 Bodo and 45 mixed-medium. Similarly, in Udalguri district, of the total 129 schools provincialised, 82 are Assamese medium, 39 Bodo, seven mixed medium and one Bengali medium,” Muchahary said.

Altogether 59 Assamese middle English schools were provincialised in the first phase compared to only 19 Bodo medium, two Bengali and 39 mixed medium schools in Kokrajhar, he added.