Bengali language gets classical status along with Marathi, Assamese, Pali & Prakrit; Mamata Banerjee hails success of State panel

In a significant cultural development, the Union Cabinet on Thursday has officially granted the classical status to the Bengali language, along with Marathi, Assamese, Pali, and Prakrit. This recognition underscored the rich literary heritage and historical importance of these languages in India’s diverse tapestry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media and said “I am very happy that the great Bengali language has been given the status of a classical language and that too during the holy Durga Puja time. Bengali literature has been inspiring many people for years. Congratulations to all Bengali speakers around the world on this occasion”

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also welcomed the news and called it a victory after her prolonged efforts. “We had been trying to snatch this recognition from the Ministry of Culture, GOI and we had submitted three volumes of research findings in favour of our contention. Union government has accepted our well-researched claim this evening and we finally reach the cultural apex in the body of languages in India”, she wrote on ‘X’.

So far India has six languages with classical status including Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odia. “The Classical Languages serve as a custodian of Bharat’s profound and ancient cultural heritage, embodying the essence of each community’s historical and cultural milestone”, read a release from the PMO.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written a letter to the PM in January this year seeking the classical language status for Bengali. Similar proposals were received from Bihar and Assam. In 2013 Maharastra government had sent a proposal seeking the classical status for the Marathi language.

The Bengal assembly election 2021 was fought by Trinamool Congress riding on the ‘Bengali Ashmita’ factor, evoking the sentiment for regionalism and regional pride. Mamata Banerjee saw a landslide victory and came back to office for the third consecutive time. While Bengal elections are due in 2026, Maharastra assembly polls are slated by the end of the year.

The Government of India had decided to create a new category of languages as “Classical Languages” on 12th October 2004. Tamil was the first language to have earned the Classical Language status in 2004.​