MLAs expressed their frustration at the continued failure to include the Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
West Shillong legislator Mohendro Rapsang questioned why the Centre has not included these languages in the Schedule despite the pleas of the Meghalaya government and the state’s MPs.
“If these languages are recognised in the Sixth Schedule and are the official languages in the autonomous district councils, then why and on what grounds are they not also adopted in the Eighth Schedule?” Rapsang asked.
District Council Affairs Minister Lahkmen Rymbui explained that the two issues are separate but that the Centre is still considering inclusion in the Eighth Schedule.
Rongara Siju MLA Rakkam Sangma, meanwhile, urged the Speaker to hold proceedings in the local languages.
“We shouldn’t wait for someone to preserve and promote our language, we should do it on our own. We should also teach our school curriculum in our mother tongue,” he said.
Rymbui, who is also Education Minister, said that the Education Department has already introduced Khasi and Garo in primary schools.
