ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS-E-MUSHAWARAT

D-250, Abul Fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025 Ph: 26946780 Fax: 26947346

Email: muslim@del3.vsnl.net.in. Web: www.mushawarat.com

Statement

Declaration of Urdu as Second Official Language in Jharkhand Welcomed

AIMMM Suggests Declaration of All Languages spoken by at least 5% population as Additional Official Languages

Requests Government to ask Linguistic Minorities Commissioner to Prepare Action Chart

New Delhi: 24 October, 2007: Syed Shahabuddin, President, All India Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) , has issued the following statements;

          ‘The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat while welcoming the formal notification of Urdu as the Second Official Language of Jharkhand on October 16, 2007 has taken note of the negative murmurs in the state.

In fact, under the terms of separation from Bihar in 2000 Urdu had already attained that status. The AIMMM hopes that the State government shall follow this largely token step by giving due place to Urdu in school education, as medium of instruction at primary level as the mother tongue to be taught thereafter under the Three Languages Formula.

          The AIMMM suggests that in order to avoid heart-burning among other linguistic minorities in such situations, as in Delhi all minority languages which have been declared as mother tongue by at least 5% of the people of the state in the last census should be accorded the status of Additional Official Languages. Apart from Schedule 8 Languages, this status should include other non-Schedule local languages which are recognized by the state as media of instruction at the primary stage or taught at least up to the secondary level as mother tongue. All Additional Official Languages should enjoy state patronage and be available for its communication with the people in relevant districts, towns and blocks.

          The AIMMM suggests that the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities should be asked by the Ministry of Minority Affairs to prepare the Action Chart in this regard in the light of the latest available census data on languages.’

Sd/ Syed Shahabuddin

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Authorized for Publication:

New Delhi,                                                                                     (Abdul Waheed)

24 October, 2007                                                                                                     Office Secretary