The state government's decision to exclude Bhojpuri and Magahi from Regional language list of Dhanbad and Bokaro have irked the speakers of these languages.

All this, as the members of language rights association, Magahi, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Sanskriti Bachao Manch on Saturday burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Hemant Soren; Minister of Rural Development, Alamgir Alam and state Congress president, Rajesh Thakur.

Over 50 protesters who congregated near Digwadih Gurudwara at around noon shouted slogans against the state government holding it responsible for depriving large number of Bhojpuri, Magahi and Maithili speakers of job opportunities.

Talking to The Telegraph Online, Madan Mahto, Convener of Magahi, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Sanskriti Bachao Manch said, “The state government after winning the elections on the support of Bhojpuri, Magahi, Maithili speakers backstabbed them by excluding these languages from the regional language list and they would teach lessons to the government during next elections.”

“The series of agitations will continue until the government revokes it’s decision and re-include Bhojpuri, Magahi and Maithili in regional language list” said Mahto and added that they would also take legal recourse against the government decision.

“We have also burnt the effigies of Congress leaders along with the Chief Minister as without the support of the Congress party which is in alliance such a decision might not have been taken,” said Mahto.

Meanwhile, the local language right activists, under the banner of Jharkhadi Bhasa Bachao Sangharsh Samiti took out a rally to celebrate the exclusion of Bhojpuri and Magahi from the regional language list and paid floral tributes to all martyrs who sacrificed for the creation of separate state of Jharkhand.

Talking to The Telegraph Online today, Raja Das, central committee member of Jharkhandi Bahsa Bachao Sangharh Samiti said “ Our month long protest against the inclusion of Bhojpuri, Magahi in regional language list has finally yielded results as the government was compelled to revoke it’s earlier decision to include these languages in regional language list”

“We celebrated the occasion by garlanding the statues of all martyrs across the district beginning with the statue of Birsa Munda near, Dhanbad Railway station today” said Das.