Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Apr 24: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader D S Ranotra today flayed the Centre over the exclusion of Punjabi from the Jammu and Kashmir Official Languages Bill, describing the move as “anti-minority”.
In a statement, the AAP leader said that Punjabi was a part and parcel of the constitution of Jammu and Kashmir before the abrogation of Article 370 provisions. He said the move had badly bruised the sentiments of the minorities, more so those belonging to the Sikh community. He added that Punjabi was a popular language in J&K spoken by lakhs of people.
Ranotra condemned the alleged neglect of Punjabi language in the UT. He said that first Punjabi was made a non-compulsory subject/language and then all efforts were made by the successive Governments for its extinction. “Punjabi language has been given the recognition and guarantee under Article 146, Schedule VI of the J&K Constitution. Thus it becomes obligatory on the part of the J&K Government to make all efforts for the promotion of Punjabi language in addition to other regional languages,” he added.
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