With an aim to strengthen her grip on Muslims, a must for a long inning, Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has started acting upon her poll promises concerning the minority community. In her first step towards the goal, Mamata on Thursday announced to accord Urdu the status of second official language.
Mamata, who came to power after uprooting the 34-year rule of communists, declared that Urdu would be given second official language status in the districts that have 10% or more Urdu-speaking people.
A campaign poster of Trinamool Congress candidate in Kolkata
It should be noted here that the Urdu speaking people have long demanded the status to the language but the Left Front regime failed to heed to the demand. In 2009 Lok Sabha elections as well as 2011 Assembly election, Mamata Banerjee included the demand in the election manifesto of her party Trinamool Congress and during the poll campaigns she promised that if her party came to power she would make Urdu second official language in areas with 10% or above Urdu speakers. The status will benefit the community in several ways.
Talking to TwoCircles.net, Ahmad Hassan Imran, Executive Editor of Urdu daily Azad Hind, said: “The step is most welcome as it will fulfill the long-standing demand. The announcement is very good news for Urdu-speaking people if it is transferred into practice. The Jyoti Basu government had also vowed in 1990 to grant Urdu second official language but it never happened. We are hopeful that Mamata will do the different and implement the announcement on the ground.”
On how the new status is going to benefit to Urdu speaking people, Imran, who is also editor of popular Bengali weekly Kalam, said: “If the government implements it properly it will benefit the Urdu speaking population in various aspects. For instance, they will be able to convey their message to government departments directly without hiring Bengali or English knowing people. Besides, the Urdu speaking people will be appointed as translators, clerks and typewriters in government offices that will surely end the financial problems of a number of families.” Moreover, Urdu teachers will be appointed in schools and also Urdu schools will be established in concerned areas, Imran told TCN over phone from Kolkata.
As far as Urdu newspapers are concerned, he said “They will also get benefits as they will get the government’s advertisement like dailies of other languages. Besides, the step will increase the interest about Urdu learning that will increase the readers of Urdu newspapers.”
Besides Urdu, Mamata announced that Hindi, Oriya, Nepali, Gurmukhi and Santhali languages will also be given the similar status in the areas where the speakers of these languages are 10% of the total population.
“A small amendment would be needed for the purpose. For that the drafts will be prepared soon and would be passed in coming Assembly session,” Mamata has been quoted as saying in media on 27th May.
Another Muslim pleasing announcement that Mamata, first woman CM of West Bengal, made on 26th May is that the word “Madrasa” will be restored to the name of Aliah University. The word was dropped by Left Front government when it gave the madrasa the status of a university in 2007.
West Bengal Madarsa Students Union has since been demanding the inclusion of the word ‘madarsa’ to Aliah University. The Madarsa was founded as Calcutta Madarsa in 1780. After more than 225 years, the madrasa was upgraded to Aliah University through an act which was passed in the state Assembly in 2007. The university started its activities in 2008.
To put pressure on the government, the Students Union of the university had also organized protest rallies and a section of students sat on hunger strike in 2010 but Left Government remained unmoved. It was Mamata who reached the students who were on fast on December 27, 2010 and assured them that after coming to power she would add ‘madarsa’ to the university’s name. After that the students called off the hunger strike.
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