New Delhi, May 17 (ANI): Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Thursday stunned the Lok Sabha when he replied in Bhojpuri to a calling attention motion for inclusion of 'Bhojpuri' in official languages of the country.
Replying to a calling attention motion on the need to include Bhojpuri, the native tongue of Bihar, in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution to accord it the official language status, Chidambaram said: "Hum sabke bhawna samjhat bani (I understand the sentiments of all).
The members present inside the House including Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar lauded this gesture of the Union Home Minister. The members thumped their desks in praise.
Chidambaram also promised lawmakers he would expedite the process of considering reports on the language inclusion and taking a quick decision.
Congress MP from West Delhi, Mahabal Mishra, appeared very convinced with the Home Minister's promise, saying UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has taken this issue very seriously.
"I congratulate Chidambaram and Sonia Gandhi. They, today, accepted that they will pass it in the next session. We have the support of Sonia Gandhi. She has taken this issue very seriously," he told the media in Bhojpuri outside Parliament here.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kirti Azad appeared to be unconvinced on the issue.
"The day Bhojpuri will be accorded official language status, that day we will accept that whatever he has said today is from the bottom of his heart. It was during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Government that 'Maithali' was accorded official status. It was unfortunate that or government was removed in 2004, or else Rajasthani and Bhojpuri, both would have come," he said. (ANI)