Bhojpuri superstar and BJP MP Ravi Kishan has introduced a Private Member Bill in Lok Sabha to include Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution so that it can be accorded the status of an official language. Kishan, who introduced The Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2024, on Friday, said he wants to underline that the Bhojpuri language is not about crass songs but has a rich cultural history and literature which needs to be promoted.
"So many people speak and understand this language. It is our mother tongue.
I wanted to promote this language as a film industry is also being run in this language and lakhs are getting employment. The music industry is also very big," the BJP MP from Gorakhpur said. This Bill is about promoting Bhojpuri literature which is very rich, he said."People will take the language seriously. The language is not about crass songs. The language is so rich, it also has literature," Kishan said. The literature of Bhojpuri needs to be popularised, the actor-cum-politician said. "I want to pay back to my community. This language is my identity."
In its statement of objects and reasons, the bill notes that the Bhojpuri language which originated in the Gangetic plains of India is a very old and rich language having its origin in the Sanskrit language.
Bhojpuri is the mother tongue of a large number of people residing in Uttar Pradesh, Western Bihar, Jharkhand and some parts of Madhya Pradesh as well as in several other countries, it further notes.
In Mauritius, this language is spoken by a large number of people and it is estimated that around 140 million people speak Bhojpuri, the bill’s note on objective states. The bill notes that Bhojpuri films are very popular in the country and abroad and have a deep impact on the Hindi film industry.