The Jharkhand government removed Bhojpuri and Maghi from the list of regional languages from Bokaro and Dhanbad district recruitment exams, the move initiated to quell ongoing protests that have rocked the region for weeks.
In its notification issued on Friday night, the Hemant Soren government clarified that in Bokaro, Santhali, Mundari and Ho had been notified as tribal languages, while Nagpuri, Khorta, Kurmali, Urdu and Bengali were included as regional languages.
In Dhanbad, Santhali was notified as a tribal language, while Nagpuri, Khorta, Kurmali, Urdu and Bengali were regional languages.
On Saturday, state education minister Jagarnnath Mahto thanked chief minister Hemant Soren for the decision taken by the state personnel, rajbhasha and administrative affairs department.
Talking to reporters at his residence, Mahto said, “I was the first one to raise this matter, objecting to the inclusion of Bhojpuri and Maghi as regional languages in Bokaro and Dhanbad. When it was notified, I had raised the matter before the chief minister too and he had assured me that he would look into it. I am happy that the amendments are finally done.”
Mahto said that hardly anyone spoke Maghi and Bhojpuri in Bokaro and Dhanbad and whoever did had come here in search of work and settled down. “They aren’t original settlers here. Therefore, Bhojpuri and Maghi can’t be accepted as regional languages in this part of the state,” he said.
Bhojpuri and Maghi are listed as regional languages in Garhwa and Palamau, while Angika is included as a regional language in Dumka, Jamtara, Sahebganj, Pakur and Godda.
In Kolhan, comprising East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharsawan, Odiya is notified as a regional language.
Opposition BJP described Friday's move to denotify the languages as politics of appeasement. “If Bhojpuri, Maghi aren’t the languages of this state, how come Urdu is a regional language in Dhanbad and Bokaro? This is clearly an attempt to appease the Muslim community for its vote bank. Our party will not let it happen,” said Bhavnathpur MLA Bhanu Pratap Sahi.
Bokaro MLA and BJP chief whip Biranchi Narayan agreed. “We demand removal of Urdu from the regional language list. We will not sit idle,” he said.
