Meet on Kamtapuri demand

TT, 02 Nov 2019, Jalpaiguri: A section of intellectuals of the Rajbanshi community, along with some former militants of the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation, will hold a two-day conference to draw a roadmap for pushing the inclusion of Kamtapuri language in the eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

The conference will be held from Saturday in the Maynaguri block of Jalpaiguri district under the banner of the Kamtapuri Bhasa O Sanskritik Mancha, an apolitical forum floated by the Rajbanshi intellectuals and ex-militants to revive the language demand.

The move has come as a fresh problem for the Centre, particularly because the Mamata Banerjee government had formally recognised both the Rajbanshi and Kamtapuri languages last year.

According to the forum, the demand for the recognition of Kamtapuri as one of the regional languages of India was long-standing. In 1977, the demand had been raised before the then Prime Minister, Morarji Desai, and again, it was mentioned by BJP MP S.S Ahluwalia during the first tenure of the Narendra Modi government .

"The Kamtapuri language should be recognised under the eighth Schedule of the Constitution. We have planned a two-day conference at the Jalpesh Mela Ground (in Maynaguri) where detailed discussions will be held on how we can move forward to achieve the demand," said Dharmanarayan Burma, the president of the Mancha.

The forum said chief minister Mamata Banerjee had constituted the Kamtapuri Bhasa Academy and a development board for the community soon after the demands had been raised before her.

"But no steps were taken by the Centre. That is why we have planned to renew our movement on the issue," said Sunil Roy, the Mancha's working president According to researchers, the Rajbanshi community in Bengal refers their language both as Rajbanshi and Kamtapuri.

"A number of political outfits and organisations, and even the KLO, have time and again raised the demand. It seems the state's move to recognise the language bolstered their confidence and now they want to mount pressure on the Centre," said an observer.

In February last year, the West Bengal Official Language (Second Amendment) Bill, 2018 was passed in the Assembly, recognising Kamtapuri, Rajbanshi and Kurmali as official languages of the state.

The decision by the Rajbanshi intellectuals and the former militants to hold the conference would surely cre- ate pressure on the BJP. 

"This is because the BJP has managed to secure Parliament seats from Rajbanshi-dominated seats of north Bengal. The Assembly elections are round the corner and the BJP cannot afford to antagonise the Rajbanshi community at this point of time. The community constitutes over 40 per cent of the total voters in north Bengal. It would be interesting to see how the BJP handled the situation," a political analyst said.