Sukhbir writes to Lt Gov over exclusion of Punjabi from J-K's official languages

 SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday wrote to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir over the exclusion of Punjabi from the union territory's official languages and termed it as "anti-Sikh".

He said Punjabi language's due status as one of the J-K's official languages should be immediately restored. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president said the Punjabi language has profound religious, cultural and emotional implications for the Sikh community.

"As such, the exclusion of Punjabi as an official language in Jammu and Kashmir is bound to be seen as an anti-minority and is certain to be seen as an anti-Sikh step of the J-K administration," Badal said in a statement here.

The Union cabinet a few days ago had approved a bill under which Kashmiri, Dogri and Hindi, apart from the existing Urdu and English, will be the official languages in the Union territory. Badal, in the letter, sought to draw the attention of the Lt Governor to "reports of the discriminatory exclusion of the Punjabi language as one of the official languages of Jammu and Kashmir".

"Punjabi is not only the mother tongue of a very significant part of the people of J-K but it was also a recognised language duly certified in the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir," Badal wrote.

He cautioned that decisions such as these provide dangerous propaganda ammunition to those who are always looking for such opportunities to disturb peace and communal harmony in the country, especially in the sensitive border states of Punjab and J-K. Badal termed the move as "violative of the spirit that runs through every word of the Constitution of India which stands for unity in diversity".

He said it would deliver a "severe blow" to the idea of cooperative cultural and political federalism in the country.

Badal said the SAD has always been at the forefront in the fight for justice for the mother tongue of Punjabis and it "would not hesitate to do so in future also".

(Image Credits:PTI)