Recognize Kosali as the second state language of Odisha demands Khadial Nagarik Manch in a press meet hold at Khadial Kalyan Mandap.
The Press meet was presided by Ranjit Singh Maharatha, coordinator, Khadial Nagarik Manch and other dignitaries joined the meet were Natraj Mahapatra, Irfan Mohammed, Tulsi Jain, Sanjay Khamari etc.
In the press meet, the members says, the Odisha government is only supporting Odia language where as the Odisha is having Odia and Kosali two major languages. And both languages have equal number of speakers; approximately two crore. Apart from this the Kosali speakers also pays tax and Odia speakers also pays tax in Odisha but the Kosali speakers are feeling left out after declaring only Odia as the official language of Odisha.
Further the Odisha government is supporting only Odia medium schooling in primary level whereas according to the Right to Education Act 2009, children should be avail education in its own mother tongue. The mother tongue of children of western Odisha is Kosali not Odia. But a kind of Odia imposition is going on in the state run government school.