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Kokrajhar: Bodo Sahitya Sabha (BSS) and its allied organizations on Thursday slammed BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary for his ‘apathetic’ attitude towards Bodo medium and warned that the Sabha would have no option other than launching agitation after November 16 if Mohilary failed to respond to the directive of the State Government to introduce Bodo medium in Class XI and Class XII.
The president of the BSS, Taren Boro and general secretary Prasanta Kr Basumatary in a statement said the Bodo medium was introduced as medium of instruction in the State in 1963 in the primary level, which is now taught up to High School and Higher Secondary level. Besides, the Bodo subject as MIL has been introduced in Gauhati University, Dibrugargh University, Silchar University, Bodoland University and Cotton University. They said the Education Department, Government of Assam, had directed the Education Director of BTC in April to send data of Bodo medium schools and higher secondary schools across the State where Bodo could be introduced up to Class XII from next academic session but the BTC administration had not sent any response on the matter. Rather, Mohilary wanted English medium for the Bodo students.
Strongly criticizing the ‘pathetic’ attitude of Mohilary and some BPF leaders who were allegedly in favour of English medium for Bodo students after Class VIII, the BSS leaders said the Bodo organizations would not accept Mohilary’s concept. They also said Bodo medium was the second largest spoken language in the region and it is included in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution in 2003 and at this juncture there was no question of letting Bodo medium die.
The BSS leaders said there had been series of meetings between the BSS and BTC counterparts for preparing and collecting data of Bodo medium schools across Assam to introduce Bodo up to Class XII but Mohilary and some BPF leaders were not keen to do it. The BSS warned that they would start fresh agitation against the destructive move of the BTC after November 16, the foundation day of the Sabha.
Meanwhile, general secretary of the ABSU, Lawrence Islary said the student body would not accept the move of BTC to finish off the Bodo medium education by any means. He said there was no example of performing better in civil service examinations reading in English that Bodo medium had reached such a position that it was being introduced in primary education in West Bengal as well.
The president and secretary of Bodo Women Writers’ Association, Uttara Bwiswmuthiary and secretary Dhirju Jyoti Basumatary, also vehemently opposed the move of BTC and criticized the leaders who were not keen to develop the Bodo language. They said they would not accept and support Mohilary’s proposal that lacked vision for development of Bodo medium.