Deuri Sahitya Sabha opposes move on language

GUWAHATI, May 26? The Deuri Sahitya Sabha (DSS) today demanded of the Government to immediately rescind its move to introduce the ?Deuri-Chutia? language at select primary schools in the State. ?The Deuri is a separate language and the Government must recognise it as such,? it said. Vehemently criticising the Government move, DSS general secretary Hem Ranjan Deuri told newsmen that the Deuris have a rich and distinct language of their own and in no way was it connected with the Chutia language. And as such, it is illogical and absurd to have a language like ?Deuri-Chutia? which has been given publicity by a section of vested interests for political gain and which in no way represents the Deuri society. He also strongly protested the ?Deuri-Chutia Sahitya Sabha?s move to use Roman script for the ?Deuri-Chutia? language, and said the Deuris have always been for using Assamese script in their language. Sri Deuri also expressed surprise as to how the Government could take such an unjustifiable decision at the behest of the Deuri-Chutia Sahitya Sobha which was floated only recently by a few persons without having any locus standi in the Deuri society. ?The Deuri Sahitya Sabha, the All Assam Deuri Students Union, etc, have been demanding recognition of the Deuri language with Assamese script for several decades and now the Government is arbitrarily imposing this non-existent ?Deuri-Chutia? language on us without even discussing the matter with us,? he said. Voicing grave concern that some unscrupulous elements have even started imparting training on ?Deuri-Chutia? language to the youths, Sri Deuri said the Government must stop this practice at the earliest. ?The youths are being lured into training with promises that they would be given jobs at schools,? he pointed out. Sri Deuri urged the Chief Minister and the Education Minister to settle the issue by holding talks with the Deuri Sahitya Sabha at the earliest. ?If this is not done, we will have to resort to agitational methods,? he warned, adding that memorandums have already been sent to the ministers in this regard.