BDF Welcomes Jayanta Mallabaruah's Truth on Assamese, Calls for Official Status for Bengali and Renaming Silchar Station

During a recent event at Silchar Banga Bhaban celebrating Bhasha Gaurav Saptah, Jayantamalla Baruah, the Guardian Minister of Cachar district, acknowledged that the dominance of Assamese by extreme Assamese chauvinists has contributed to Assam’s fragmentation into 7 smaller states. He further remarked that efforts to impose Assamese on all communities have strained relations between Assamese and Bengali people in the state.

Expressing hope, Mallabaruah added that recognition of both Assamese and Bengali as classical languages could help bridge these divides.

The Barak Democratic Front (BDF) welcomed this truth from Minister Jayanta Mallabaruah and urged him to take steps to meet the long-standing demands of Bengalis in the state.

In a press statement, BDF Chief Convenor Pradip Dutta Roy said that every Bengali in the state should appreciate the minister’s realisation. He noted that this is the first time a state minister has acknowledged what the BDF has been stating since its inception. Roy stated that the Bengali community in Assam respects Assamese language and culture but not at the cost of their own language and heritage.

Roy expressed hope that the minister’s statements would ease longstanding misunderstandings between the two communities, Bengali and Assamese.

The BDF leader added that, despite Mallabaruah’s support for Bengali as an associate language in the state, it has not yet received official recognition. While Assamese and Bodo are featured on name boards in the Assam Legislative Assembly, Bengali is absent.

In the Barak Valley, the language law is often violated in official work. Therefore, for lasting communal harmony, Roy urged the minister to work towards official recognition for Bengali.

Roy also highlighted the role of Bengalis, especially the Nikhil Bharatiya Banga Sahitya Sammelan, in founding the Assam Sahitya Sabha. The Sabha originally included representation from both Assamese and Bengali communities, but Bengali has since been sidelined in its activities.

If the Sabha is to promote the culture of Greater Assam, it should actively work on Bengali language development, he emphasised. Additionally, despite approval from the central government and the Railways Ministry, Silchar railway station has not yet been renamed “Bhasha Shahid Station.” Roy called on Minister Baruah to address this.

This information was shared in a press release by Joydeep Bhattacharjee on behalf of the BDF Media Cell.