Bhubaneswar, Apr 2 (UNI) The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has demanded that the Kosali language, spoken by 1.5 crore people across eleven districts in Odisha, be recognized as an official state language.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Odisha Assembly, on Wednesday, BJD Deputy Leader Prasanna Kumar Acharya urged the state government to grant Kosali the status of a state language and recommend its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution to the central government.

Acharya stated that Kosali has a rich literary heritage, with numerous stories and poems, and is spoken by people in eleven districts of Western Odisha.

The BJD Deputy Leader, who hails from Western Odisha, warned that the state government might face public outrage from these districts if it continues to ignore the demand to recognize Kosali as a state language.

He emphasized that Kosali meets all the necessary criteria for being declared a state language, yet it continues to be overlooked.

Acharya urged the state government to recommend its inclusion in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, pointing out that several other languages without distinct scripts have already been included in the past.

UNI DP KK