New Delhi: Santhali, one of the most widely spoken languages of the Munda subfamily of the Austroasiatic languages, has made its debut in Rajya Sabha when Odisha’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sarojini Hembram used it to raise an important issue in the Upper House during the Zero Hour.
The BJD MP spoke in Santhali to demand Bharat Ratna for Raghunath Murmu, who in 1925 created the Ol Chiki script for the Santhali language.
Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu praised the BJD MP for using her local language and said this was the first time that Santhali language was used in the Upper House.
The Chairman also encouraged MPs to use their local languages for raising Zero Hour mentions while ensuring that English and Hindi translations are available to other members on headphones.
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