A Condition Applied, CM Suggests How Karbi Language Can Be Included in 8th Schedule

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on the first day of the autumn session in newly constructed Assam Legislative Assembly building has announced that the Karbi language must switch from the Roman script to a Bharatiya script in order to be included in the 8th schedule of the Constitution.

He also said that talks are underway within the Karbi society for the same.

Addressing the house on Monday, CM Sarma said, “The government of Assam shall set up a committee to study the demands for notifying the Karbi language as an associate language in the state. The committee will also recommend measure to further strengthen and popularize Karbi language at a national level including the suitable script in consultation with the Karbi Literary Society and other Karbi organizations.”

The chief minister also stated that Roman is not an Indian script, thus, for inclusion of language in 8th schedule of the Constitution, the script has to be Bharatiya.

“Roman script is not an Indian script, but the eighth schedule is all about Indian language and Indian script. The 8th schedule of the Constitution prohibits the inclusion of a language whose script is Roman but whose language is Indian,” added the chief minister.

The chief minister further mentioned that he had a thorough discussion about the issue with the Karbi Literary Society and other Karbi organisations, and accordingly, he had advised them to accept any Indian script—Devanagiri, Assamese, etc—in order to be listed in the Constitution's 8th schedule.

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