Adhir Chowdhury raises demand to recognise Bengali as classical language

Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday urged the government to give Bengali language the status of a "classical language" in the country.

"Bengali literature is one of the most enriched bodies of literature in modern India and Bangladesh. I propose that the Bengali language should be given the recognition of a classical language. This is my request to the government. I don't have any different opinion about the recognition of six languages (already classified) as classical languages," Chowdhury said in the Lower House.

"There is no specific eligibility of how a classical language is determined. Bengali language with all its heritage should be included as a classical language," he said.

Tamil was the first language in India to be accorded the classical language status in 2004. Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam and Odia are the other languages that have been declared as classical languages in India by the government.