Shillong, May 5: Cabinet minister and Jowai MLA Wailadmiki Shylla has urged caution regarding the development of a formal Jaintia language, noting that while the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) has passed a resolution for a specific alphabet, it still awaits the Governor’s final assent.
Shylla remarked that until this official recognition is granted, it is premature for the people of Jaintia Hills to formalise a unified language structure.
Emphasising his role as a representative of the region, he stated that he would stand firmly with the sentiments of his people as the process unfolds.
This statement comes amid a period of heightened linguistic and regional identity politics in Meghalaya.
Shylla, along with Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, recently made headlines for their pointed challenge to opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) chief Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit MLA during a heated debate on the state’s reservation policy in the most recently session of the state Assembly.
The duo criticised Basaiawmoit for his perceived omission of the word “Jaintia” in his discourse, arguing that such rhetoric ignores the distinct identity of the Jaintia people within the broader Khasi-Jaintia community.
On the other hand, both Shylla and Dhar have also been on the receiving end of criticism over perceptions that they have not done enough for the Jaintia community, such as in debates for a separate quota for the Jaintia people in state jobs and education.
