Senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Rama Chandra Khuntia on Tuesday said the Union Cabinet’s approval to a proposal for classical status to Odia language was getting delayed due to some legislative and judicial hurdles.
“Though a proposal of the linguistic committee of the Sahitya Akademi was sent to the Union Ministry of Culture for its approval in July last year, due to some technicalities, it is being delayed. However, the Union Culture Minister has assured me that the proposal will be approved by January this year,” Khuntia told mediapersons here.
Khuntia clarified that since some persons have filed complaints with the Union Home Department against the classical status move to Odia and a case in this regard is sub-judice at the Madras High Court, the final approval was being delayed.
“Recently, I met the Union Home Minister and the Union Minister of law and Culture on the issue and told them that the classical status could be accorded to Odia language even when a case challenging it is sub judice. I told that that in past, Malayalam language too had got the classical tag even when a case challenging the bid was sub-judice,” said Khuntia.
Besides, Khuntia informed that mass conventions would be organsied across the State to press demands for using Odia as official language at all Government offices and courts except in the High Court, health reports and doctors' prescriptions. Khuntia also demanded inclusion of Odia language as a medium in the All India Pre-Medical Test. He disclosed that the Odia Bhasa Sashtriya Manyta Krianusthan Committee will too hold demonstrations before the Parliament and the Assembly to press for the demands.