Guwahati: In a historic step for the first time, the Assam Legislative Assembly has introduced Hindi as an official language for its proceedings, effective from Monday, the opening day of the Budget Session of the 16th Assembly. After this, Hindi has joined Assamese, English, and Bodo as the fourth language permitted in the state assembly.
Announcing this, Assam Assembly speaker Ranjit Kumar Dass said that the decision of the induction of Hindi language was taken in the General Purpose Committee meeting of the Assam Legislative Assembly, which was held on Saturday under his chairmanship.
“In the meeting, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pijush Hazarika, Minister Keshab Mahanta, Opposition Leader Wazed Ali Chowdhury, MLAs Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, Sabharam Basumatary, Chakradhar Gogoi, Joy Prakash Das were present. In the meeting, we have decided to introduce the Hindi language in the state assembly,” he said.
Mr Dass said, “Earlier, three languages – Assamese, English and Bodo – were here, and for the first time, the Hindi language was introduced. Hindi is Rashtra Bhasha, and to recognise it, we have decided to introduce the Hindi language.”
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who welcomed the decision clarified that there is no proposal to withdraw or diminish the use of Bodo in the Assembly or any official business. “The Government of Assam is fully committed to preserving and promoting the Bodo language,” he stated.
The Assam Legislative Assembly has traditionally operated primarily in Assamese and English, with Bodo added later to accommodate the state’s linguistic diversity, particularly for the Bodo community in Bodoland Territorial Region.
The decision came amid broader national discussions on linguistic unity and the promotion of Hindi, though it has occasionally sparked debates in non-Hindi speaking states regarding cultural identity and local languages. The Speaker also announced that there was a channel named ALA (Assam Legislative Assembly), and it will be renamed Assam Vidhan Sabha TV from Monday.
“In the coming days, we will try to make Assam Vidhan Sabha TV like Lok Sabha TV and Rajya Sabha TV. From July 6, the Budget Session of the Assam Legislative Assembly will begin, and it will be 21 working days and will continue till July 31. The State Budget will be tabled on July 10,” the Assam Assembly Speaker said.
