The Bhasha Suraksha Samilani on Tuesday held a State-wide agitation demanding formation of a language Commission and imposing penalties for violations in implementation of the language Act.
Hundreds of writers, intellectuals, district-level political leaders, lawyers, students and women held a civil disobedience movement before the district Collectorates and were arrested protesting against the State Government’s dillydallying tactics in implementing 1954 language Act.
BJP, Congress, CPI, CPi(M) and Utkal Bharat leaders alleged that the Government is deliberately not implementing the language Act. As the Chief Minister does not know Odia language, the Act is not being implemented and a language Commission is not being formed. If the Act is not implemented, Odia language would lose its identity, they said.
The protestors shouted slogans for implementing of the Odia language Act.
The agitation was held extensively in Baripada, Baleswar, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapada, Puri, Angul, Chhatrapur, Koraput, Rayagada, Rourkela, Khordha and Jagatsinghpur.
In the demonstration held before the Cuttack Collectorate, former MP and Sammilani president Baishnab Parida, Congress leader Mohammed Moquim and many leaders of other political parties participated.