Define the Term 'Indigenous Assamese': Badruddin Ajmal to 'Asom Sahitya Sabha'

Guwahati, January 25, 2020:

All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal on Friday urged the 'Asom Sahitya Sabha' to define the term 'indigenous Assamese'. Meanwhile, the Dhubri MP has also assured the 'Sabha' that he will urge Muslims, especially the ones living in the char (river bank) areas, to state Assamese is their mother-tongue in the forthcoming census.

The Sabha had approached Ajmal to help them safeguard the Assamese tongue amid the rise in Bengali and Hindi speakers in the State. Moreover, the culture, language, and identity of the people is seen to be in threat after the imposition of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act by the BJP-led NDA Government.

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The Sabha had a core group discussions with the Ajmal Foundation led by the AIUDF chief on Friday, and sought ways to protect and preserve the Assamese language amid dwindling number of speakers. According to official data, the number of Bodo, Rabha, and Santhali speakers has also dipped.

Ajmal, assuring the Sabha, said that he would urge the Muslim community living in the remoter areas to consider Assamese as their mother tongue.

It is worth mentioning that somewhat alarmingly, the percentage of Assamese speakers has dipped from 48.80 % (in 2001) to 48.38% (in 2011). If these reports are any indication, the number of Assamese speakers is expected to drop even further in upcoming times. Conversely, the percentage of Bengali speakers rose to 28.91% in 2011 (from 27.54% in 2001) and the number of Hindi speakers rose to 6.73% in 2011 (from 5.89% in 2001).

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