BJD Demands Inclusion of Ho, Mundari and Bhumij Languages in 8th Schedule of Constitution

New Delhi: Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today demanded the Centre for the inclusion of three major tribal languages in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

In a Special Mention in Rajya Sabha, BJD MP Dr. Sasmit Patra urged the Central Government to take necessary steps for inclusion of Ho, Mundari and Bhumij languages in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution at the earliest.

Language is extremely important as ethnic identity, he said.

With a Scheduled Tribe population of over 22.85 per cent, Odisha is home to 62 tribal communities, including 13 Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG), the Rajya Sabha MP said.

He said, “Inclusion of Ho, Mundari and Bhumij languages will go a long way in fulfilling the long-standing demands and aspirations of the tribal communities speaking these three languages in Odisha”.

He further said that Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had written in this regard to the Home Affairs Minister of India last year and requested the inclusion of these three languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

Ho language is spoken by nearly 10 lakh tribal people living in Odisha and Jharkhand. After Santhali, which has already been included, Ho is the second most widely spoken tribal language in Odisha. Mundari is spoken by more than six lakh people belonging to the Munda and Mundari tribes of Odisha, Patra said.

Bhumij is spoken by about three lakh people speaking Bhumij. These are some tribal languages in Odisha which highly deserve to be included in the 8th Schedule of Constitution, he said.

He said that there is a huge need for including these three major tribal languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.