Jammu: National Conference on Sunday asserted that Jammu will unitedly fight the attempts of trampling Dogri, saying this is a collective language of the Dogras, irrespective of caste, creed and religion.
“We, the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs are proud inheritors of the Dogra heritage and any overt or covert attempt to dilute it would be fought tooth and nail”, Provincial President Devender Singh Rana said at a function here this afternoon.
Rana came down heavily on the BJP for becoming a willing partner in undermining Dogri in the Jammu region and reiterated his demand of creating posts of lecturers in every college and teachers in every school of the province so that the young people are taught their mother tongue adequately. He cautioned against delaying this process and said that any misadventure on this account can prove disastrous in the otherwise peaceful region for which the PDP-BJP dispensation will be squarely responsible.
The Provincial President said that seeking rightful place for Dogri does not amount to war against any other language. “It is just to seek equal attention for promotion of the Dogri language at the school and college level”, he said and questioned the BJP for its continued criminal silence over the issue that is a matter of concern for the people. “Where has the steam of self-proclaimed defenders of Jammu and Dogra heritage evaporated”, he said while asking the BJP to come out with its stand on the issue.
“National Conference stands for equal opportunity for every language and heritage to flourish, as this is the beauty of this state, known for its unity in diversity”, the Provincial President said and urged the people to maintain peace and fight the injustice meted out to Dogri with courage and fortitude. He said Dogri does not belong to any religion specific, as it belongs to all, irrespective of caste or colour in the Jammu region.
Speaking on the occasion, MLA Dr Kamal Arora expressed anguish over generating a controversy over the language issue by the insensitive PDP-BJP coalition, especially at a time when the state was passing through difficult times.
He sought equal space for Dogri to flourish as a premier language of Jammu region, as it reflects the glorious ethos and heritage of the Dogras.
Rana and Dr Kamal Arora expressed the resolve that any attempt of dividing the people will meet stiff challenge by the National Conference that has all along strived for cementing the bonds of brotherhood and harmony. They said the divisive tactics of the coalition government are destined to fail before the strong will of the people and their unflinching faith in the principles of amity and inclusiveness.
The National Conference leaders called for immediate end to the controversy by creating adequate posts of Dogri teachers and lecturers so that youngsters have openings for learning their mother language. “There cannot be any other effective medium to communicate than the mother tongue and the government must understand this basic principle”, they said and cautioned the BJP not to let down the region that gave them massive mandate.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included State Vice President Rattan Lal Gupta, Arshad Choudhry, Showkat Ahmed, Vijay Lochan, Balwinder Singh, Naresh Kumar, Raj Kumar, Daljeet Sharma, Parshotam Kumar, Suresh Kumar, Bittu and others. (KNS)
