Lok Sabha Polls: Section of voters in Bihar's Ara demand inclusion of Bhojpuri language in Eighth Schedule

Ara (Bihar): A section of voters in the Ara Lok Sabha seat in Bihar are nursing a hope that after the elections, efforts will be made by the new dispensation to include the Bhojpuri language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Bhojpuri is spoken in several parts of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Ara, the headquarters of the Bhojpur district, is a historic city and culturally rich region, and Bhojpuri is the dominant language of this region earlier known as Shahabad, which includes current districts of Buxar, Rohtas, Kaimur and neighbouring areas.

Flavours of Bhojpuri could be heard in election campaigning in this key constituency, where sitting MP from BJP and Union minister R K Singh is seeking a hat-trick win.

CPI(ML) Liberation candidate Sudama Prasad is fronting the fight for the I.N.D.I.A. bloc in Ara.

On the last day of the campaigning on Thursday, an e-rickshaw carrying BJP flags and a poster bearing images of Singh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi went around in the streets of Ara, playing two campaign songs in Bhojpuri.

One song has a refrain 'R K Singh sahab rachle, Ara mey itihaas' (R K Singh has scripted history in Ara), while the other one has the jingle -- 'R K Singh ji sahib ji ke phir se jitaib ji, bhari bahumat se inka vijayi banayib ji' (Will make R K Singh win again, make him emerge victorious with huge mandate).

Inclusion of Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution has been a long-standing demand of the population speaking this old language.

Om Prakash Rai, who ran one of these campaign rickshaws in sweltering heat of Ara in the last few weeks, when asked about this demand and his expectations from the next government, says in chaste Bhojpuri, "'Bahut biswas ba ki pura hoi..R K Singh se bhi umeed ba' (I am very positive that it will happen, have expectations from R K Singh too)".

The demand for inclusion of Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution is so prevalent here that whether one speaks to people at Ara Junction or in streets near the famous Ramna Maidan, they all want it to happen, sooner than later.

"'Aathwin Anusuchi mey hamka aapan bhasa chahin' (We want our language in the Eight Schedule)," is a common refrain from one hears from local people.

Patna-based author and film critic Prashant Ranjan, who hails from East Champaran, says, inclusion of Bhojpuri on the Eighth Schedule will be a welcome step and also have a positive impact on its entertainment industry where sleaze has tainted its traditional image as a beautiful language.

The CPI(ML) Liberation, an alliance partner of the 'Mahagathbandhan' in Bihar, had recently asked why the BJP-led NDA leaders are maintaining silence over the demand for inclusion of Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

Kanhaiya Shrivastav, who does the job of transporting cooking gas cylinders on a bicycle is equally pumped up about this demand and feels this election could make that difference.

"More development will come to Ara after this election, and I am hopeful that our demand for inclusion of Bhojpuri language in the Eighth Schedule will also be heard once the new government comes into power," he told PTI before toiling in the sun again on his bicycle.

The Eighth Schedule to the Constitution consists of the following 22 languages -- Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Bodo, Santhali, Maithili and Dogri.

Of these languages, 14 were initially included in the Constitution. Sindhi language was added in 1967. Thereafter three more languages viz., Konkani, Manipuri and Nepali were included in 1992. Subsequently Bodo, Dogri, Maithili and Santhali were added in 2004.

Inclusion of any language in this schedule, allows it to be used in an official way.

Demand is also there to include several other languages in the Eighth Schedule.

Ara, located about 50 km from state capital Patna, is also famous for producing a string of Bhojpuri singers and actors who are part of this popular vernacular cinema.

Two of the sitting MPs from Uttar Pradesh -- Ravi Kishan and Dinesh Lal Yadav 'Nirahua' -- and one from North East Delhi -- Manoj Tiwari -- are Bhojpuri stars, while another popular Bhojpuri singer and actor, Pawan Singh, is fighting this election as an Independent from Karakat Lok Sabha seat.

Singh, who has a mass following among people living in Bhojpuri-speaking belts in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, was earlier fielded from Asansol by the BJP, an offer he later rejected.

He was recently expelled from the BJP for "tarnishing the party's image" by contesting Lok Sabha poll "against an authorised NDA candidate".

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