NEW DELHI: A group of Maithili speaking professionals has been on an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar for about a week, seeking a notification from the Delhi government for including the language as an optional subject for classes 8 to 12 in its schools.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who also doubles up as the education minister, had promised as much in July. The strike has been on since December 1. Kavi Ekant Rajiv Jha, 45, a social activist associated with Maithili Shikhsha Sangharsh Samiti, said the National Education Policy states that students in Hindi speaking states should learn a modern Indian language as per the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, in addition to English and Hindi.
He said that Maithils, despite constituting more than 20% of Delhi’s population, see themselves at a loss because, unlike Sanskrit, Urdu or Punjabi, which are offered as optional language courses, their mother-tongue isn’t promoted.
Akhilesh Jha, a charted accounted from Lakshmi Nagar, accused the government of doing politics over the issue. “In the absence of an official notification, the announcement is merely a gimmick meant to attract Maithili votes ahead of the Assembly polls,” Jha said.