Vajpayee’s timely help restored Dogri’s pride

Dinesh Manhotra

Tribune News Service

Jammu, August 16

It was due to the timely intervention of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that the Dogri language was included in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.

Dogri and three other languages — Bodo, Maithali and Santhali — were included in the 8th Schedule on December 22, 2003.

“We were campaigning in New Delhi to get Dogri included in the 8th Schedule. On December 20, the agenda was circulated about the Constitution Amendment Bill to be introduced in the Lok Sabha, but Dogri was missing from it,” recalled Chander Mohan Sharma, who has translated poems of Vajpayee into Dogri.

“Somehow with the intervention of former Union ministers Madan Lal Khurana and Chamal Lal Gupta, we got the chance to meet the then Prime Minister Vajpayee who appreciated the Dogri language,” Sharma said, adding, “Within no time Vajpayee brought the matter to the notice of the then Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, and Dogri was included in the Bill”.

Sharma said December 21, 2003, was Sunday but officers were deputed to the change the agenda and add Dogri to the proposed list of languages.

The Bill was debated and passed by the Lok Sabha on December 22, 2003, with a formal amendment moved by Advani to include Dogri and other languages in the 8th Schedule. The Bill was considered and passed by the Rajya Sabha on December 23, 2003. To express gratitude to Vajpayee, Sharma translated his poetry into Dogri and compiled a book, “Jammu Di Pukar.” It was released by BJP leader and present External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in Jammu in 2008.