Exemption of all the candidates who do not appear the exams in either of the three mandatory languages, Assamese, Bodo or Bengali, without provisions of any alternative language, in job recruitments conducted by the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) of the Government of Assam (Assam Public Services Competitive Examination (Amendment) Rules, 2019)
As some languages are made mandatory in the academics of Assam while Meitei language is not, in the near future, the disappearance of Meitei language in Assam will be the nearest possible outcome because students who do not choose the option for the mandatory languages in their educational careers are not allowed to appear in many Assam state government jobs. Due to such a law imposed by the Government of Assam, many students have hesitantly denied Meitei language medium in Assam.[28][29][30][31]
During December 2020, Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, a Member of Parliament of Lok Sabha, sought attention of the House for the recognition of Meitei language as an associate official language of Assam. Highlighting about the bill passed by the Assam Legislative Assembly introducing Assamese language as a mandatory subject in all the educational institutions in Assam from Class I to X, Ranjan said that Meitei language should be declared as an associate official language of Assam in accordance to the "Article 347" of the Indian Constitution, which is a special provision for the recognition of a language spoken by a section of the population of a State to be officially recognised entirely or partially of the state.[36]
Public grievances and protests
During July 2020, the "Youth's Action Committee for Protection of Indigenous People" (YACPIP) and the "Manipuri Youth Front of Assam" (MYFA), Silchar, demanded the recognition of Meitei language as associate official language of Assam so as the Manipuri people can apply for jobs in their mother language.[37] The association sent a memorandum to the President of India through the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar. In the memorandum, they have stated that Meitei language is legitimate to be an associate official language in Assam, as there are 102 Meitei language medium schools recognised by Government of Assam and Meitei language is being taught in the schools since 1956 till present.[38][39][40]
During October 2020, in reaction to the announcement of Assam Chief Minister, regarding the exemption of people, who do not study in either of the mandatory languages, from government job exams, various associations and organisations led by the "Manipuri Youths Front of Assam" (MYFA) burnt the effigy of Sarbananda Sonowal (the then Chief Minister) and Himanta Biswa Sarma (the then Education Minister). They demanded Meitei language to be declared as an associate official language in Assam.[42][43][44]
During September 2021, the Central Committee of the "All Assam Manipuri Students Union" (AAMSU) demanded that Meitei language should be included as one of the associate official languages of Assam in order to protect the language from getting disappeared.[45][46][47][48]
^The word "associate" is used instead of "associated" in most sources. So, the title of this article about the event is also named using the word "associate".
^Mukut Das (27 November 2021). "Stir over withdrawal of mandatory Assamese paper from APSC exam | Guwahati News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 26 August 2022. Chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, after the cabinet meeting in Bongaigaon district on Wednesday, said earlier, knowledge of Assamese was mandatory for candidates to appear in the APSC exam. But this rule created confusion in the minds of students, who have studied in English medium schools. "The cabinet has taken the decision to withdraw the language paper for the test," he said.
^"Assamese, Language Paper not Compulsory for APSC: CM Sarma - News Live". 25 November 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2022. Addressing the media after the cabinet meeting, Sarma said that earlier knowing Assamese was mandatory for the candidates to appear in the APSC and ACS exams but it seems to create some confusion for the students of Assam who studied in English medium. Therefore, the state cabinet has taken the decision to withdraw the language paper for the test conducted for APSC and ACS, he said.
