With eye on polls, Raman speaks Chhattisgarhi

With Chhattisgarh gearing up for Assembly elections next year, Chief Minister Raman Singh on Friday decided to play...

With Chhattisgarh gearing up for Assembly elections next year, Chief Minister Raman Singh on Friday decided to play the language card. Singh said his Government would bring in a legislation in the upcoming Winter Session, seeking official language status for Chhattisgarhi.

“We have also decided to take appropriate steps to get the language included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian constitution, so that Chhattisgarhi can get the status of a full-fledged language,” the Chief Minister said. Once the Assembly passes the legislation, the state Government will forward it to the Centre for further action, he added.

However, the Opposition Congress has alleged that the step is a gimmick ahead of the polls. Former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi asked if the Government was serious about giving an official status to Chhattisgarhi, why had it waited for four years.

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“This is an eyewash aimed at misleading the common masses in the state with an eye on the next elections. In fact, the Congress had already passed a resolution, seeking official language status for Chhattisgarhi and the present Government could have pursued it,” Jogi said. He added that an amendment to the Indian Constitution is required for granting such a status, the state legislature does not have the power to do the same.

Meanwhile, Singh rejected the Congress’s allegation that the decision to grant official status to Chhattisgarhi was politically motivated. He said the step was aimed at fulfilling aspirations of those who had struggled for creation of the state. According to Government estimates, about 1.15 crore people speak Chhattisgarhi in the state.

In other populist measures announced on Friday, the state Government also decided to introduce a food security scheme to provide rice at Rs 3 per kg to all below poverty line (BPL) families.