Fissures among ministers over JTET language row

Pioneer News Service
Ranchi

The second meeting of the five-minister committee, formed by Chief Minister Hemant Soren to resolve the controversy over the exclusion of Bhojpuri, Magahi, Angika, and Maithili from the list of regional languages in the JTET 2026 rules, also ended inconclusively. The committee appeared to be divided 3:2.

Congress ministers Radhakrishna Kishore and Deepika Pandey Singh, and RJD ministers Sanjay Prasad Yadav supported the inclusion of the four languages as regional languages. Meanwhile, JMM ministers Yogendra Prasad and Sudivya Kumar Sonu opposed the inclusion. According to sources, the committee, in its recommendation to the Chief Minister, by a 3:2 majority, recommended the inclusion of these four languages in the list of regional languages. This will provide opportunities for speakers of these languages from several districts, including Palamu, Garhwa, Latehar, Chatra, Deoghar, and Godda, to take the JTET.

The most talked-about event of the meeting was when JMM minister Sudibya Kumar Sonu raised the issue of the absence of any minister from the tribal or minority communities on the committee. This has sparked a new controversy.

Committee convener and Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore told the media after the meeting, “Today’s meeting was the second and final meeting. If the Chief Minister reconstitutes the committee by including ministers from the tribal and minority communities, only then will a third meeting be held; otherwise, today’s meeting was the final one.” He said that a report incorporating the full proceedings of the two-day meeting and the views of all ministers will be submitted to Chief Minister Hemant Soren soon.

Like the first meeting, the secretaries of the Personnel and Education Departments did not arrive with complete information. Data regarding the languages spoken in the state, the number of students in those languages, and the availability of teachers were not provided. Minister Deepika Pandey Singh expressed displeasure over this during the meeting.

Currently, the committee’s recommendation, by a 3:2 majority, favors the inclusion of all four languages, but the final decision rests with Chief Minister Hemant Soren. If they reconstitute the committee then the process will move forward, otherwise the decision will be taken based on the existing report.