Capt takes oath in English

Gagandeep Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 16

Three ministers of the Punjab Government, including Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Cabinet Ministers Rana Gurjit Singh and Aruna Chaudhary, have drawn flak for not taking oath in Punjabi.

The crusaders for Punjabi language and Punjabi writers condemned these ministers for not using Punjabi while taking oath. They said it conveyed the anti-Punjabi language stance of the newly elected government.

Capt Amarinder and Rana Gurjit took oath in English, whereas Chaudhary took oath in Hindi.

Dr Joginder Puar, former VC, Punjabi University, said, “It seems that the government has no political will to work for the betterment of Punjabi language.”

He said, “It shows that the elite sections of society don’t consider the mother language as their own language.”

Sahitya Akademi Award winner Waryam Singh Sandhu said, “I have no hope that these leaders will do anything for the betterment of Punjabi language, therefore it didn’t surprise me. It shows the mighty royal attitude of Capt Amarinder.”