Gujjars seek inclusion of Gojri in Eighth Schedule

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 15

Gujjars today sought support from all political parties, socio-linguistic groups and influential dignitaries of the country for the inclusion of the ‘Gojri’ language into the eighth schedule of the Constitution.

In an appeal sent through Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation (a frontal organisation of Gujjars) to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, they sought his intervention for immediate amendment to the list of official languages of India by including Gojri into it.

Javaid Rahi, the secretary of Tribal Research and Cultural Foundation, said Gojri was recommended twice by the state government to the Government of India for its inclusion in the Constitution.

He said the matter had been pending for the last two decades along with 38 other languages.

“The Gojri fulfils all requisite formalities and being one of the oldest and most significant languages of the South Asian sub-continent with strong literary traditions, folk and modern literature at its roots, it deserves inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution,” Rahi said.

“Gojri has been recognised as a tribal language of India by the National Academy of Letters viz Sahitya Academy,” he said, adding that Jammu University and the BGSB University have recently added Gojri as a subject among other languages.

He claimed that the state government had already recognised Gojri by including it in the Sixth Schedule of the constitution of India.

He also sought the help of Kashmiri, Dogri and other linguistic groups, political parties and social organisations.