Assam MLAs Take Oath in Nine Languages, Setting New Precedent

Personifying the diverse nature of the state’s culture and heritage, the newly elected members of Assam assembly etched a new record on Thursday as they took oaths in as many as nine languages. Marking a departure from the usual practice of adhering to English and languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution — Hindi, Bengali, Bodo and Assamese — the MLAs chose to take their oaths, administered by pro-tem speaker Chandra Mohan Patowary, in English, Assamese, Bodo, Hindi, Karbi, Rajbongshi, Sanskrit, Bengali and Rabha in the first session of the opening day of the 16th assembly.

“Today, the #AssamAssembly echoed with the voices of our indigenous languages. For the first time, MLAs took oath in languages like Karbi, Rabha, Rajbongshi, etc. going beyond conventional limitations and setting a new precedent in the House,” CM Himanta Biswa Sarma wrote in a social media post.

Speaking in the House for the first time after assuming the CM’s office for the second consecutive term, Himanta said the rule was deliberately flexed to showcase the govt’s commitment to cultural and linguistic diversity. “Today, under the leadership of Chandra Mohan Patowary — in a language they were most comfortable and confident in, the House was able to create a new record. As per the traditions and as per the rules of the House, members take oath only in the languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule (of the Constitution). We all believe that bringing the small ethnic groups and tribal communities of Assam into the mainstream is our political responsibility,” Himanta said.

Out of a total of 124 MLAs, who took oath on Thursday, 17 legislators, including 16 from BJP and one from AGP, took oath in Sanskrit, while BPF’s eight MLAs took oath in Bodo. Eight MLAs also took oath in Bengali, with six hailing from BJP and two from Congress. While two BJP MLAs took oath in Hindi and one in Rabha, five other BJP MLAs took oath in Karbi. One MLA each from BJP, BPF and AGP took oath in the Rajbongshi language. English, too, found its place under the sun as two Congress MLAs, one AIUDF MLA and one BPF MLA took oath in the said language, while the rest took their pledge in Assamese.

Elated at the creation of the record, Himanta said newly-elected BJP MLA from the ST-reserved Dudhnoi constituency, Tankeswar Rabha, had requested him that he (Rabha) be allowed to take the oath in Rabha. However, after discussing the matter in the House, the CM said that he realised that if a language was not included in the Eighth Schedule, legislators could not take oath in that language. Not to be outdone, the CM said the historic decision was taken after discussing the matter with parliamentary affairs minister Atul Bora and Patowary, so that the MLAs could take their oaths in a language they were most comfortable and confident in. “It was decided before the oath-taking ceremony that even if a language was not included in the Eighth Schedule, they would be allowed to take oath in Rabha, Karbi and Rajbongshi,” Himanta said, adding that principles and rules should never become a barrier in such matters.