BJP MP Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’ Tuesday made a strong pitch in the Lok Sabha for the inclusion of Bhojpuri in the list of official languages mentioned in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

In his maiden speech in the Lok Sabha, Yadav said Bhojpuri was spoken in 16 countries and the ‘Geet Gawai’ tradition has been recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage at the request of Mauritius.

Yadav, who won the Lok Sabha by-poll from Azamgarh in June, slammed the previous UPA government for making “false” assurances on including Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule.

He said Bhojpuri traces its roots to at least 1,000 years in history and so far, 16 private member bills have been introduced in Parliament to include it in the eighth schedule.

“Now, we have Narendra Modi as the prime minister who is known to make the impossible possible. I am confident that the government will take steps to include Bhojpuri in the Eighth Schedule,” said Yadav, a popular Bhojpuri actor-singer.