DPM promises comprehensive Bill on language

The Rajya Sabha today approved a Constitution amendment to include Bodo and three other languages in the Eighth schedule taking the number of official languages in the country to 22.

Even as the government came under fire from its own party members for the ‘‘selective’’ inclusion of four languages in the Eighth schedule of the Constitution — Bodo, Santhali, Dogri, and Maithili — in this case, Deputy PM L.K. Advani promised to bring in a comprehensive bill on languages soon, saying 35 languages were waiting to be recognised.

BJP’s L.M. Shingvi, who vigorously campaigned for a status to Rajasthani, protested the “out-of-turn inclusion of the four languages” and said: ‘‘The language policy has become a victim of politics.”