Arjun Munda: In ?real spirit?

Ranchi, Sept. 2: Chief minister Arjun Munda wants Bengal to emulate him what he has done in Jharkhand as far as the second official language is concerned.

Munda wrote a letter to his West Bengal counterpart Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in this connection on Thursday and will be personally talking to him over the issue during his visit to Calcutta on September 5.

When Munda was told that Santhali is already a second official language in Bengal, he said he wants more respect be given to the Santhali language in Bengal. ?You should try to understand the ?real spirit? behind my request, instead of going by word meanings of my letter to Bhattacharjee,? he pleaded.

Munda has been in the eyes of storm for the past few weeks for allegedly neglecting the Urdu language. He recently accorded second official language status to Santhali and Bengali in his state. This irked a section of Muslim leaders, who started staging protests on the streets.

Three days ago, Munda assured a delegation of Muslim leaders at his official residence that Urdu continues to be the second official language of the state since the Bihar days and that he will never do injustice to this rich language.

He reiterated his commitment to uphold the secular values of the nation and added that he will leave no stone unturned for enriching all the popular languages used in Jharkhand.

Personnel, administrative reforms and rajbhasha department secretary Mukhtiyar Singh, too, confirmed that Urdu is a second official language in the state along with Bengali and Santhali.

Hindi is the main official language here. English, too, is widely being used for official work.

?Bhattacharjee is like my elder brother. I am sure he will give due attention to my request also because Santhali figures in the VIIIth Schedule of the Constitution and it is widely being used in several parts of West Bengal as well,? said Munda.

Munda developed a longing for the Bengali language since his early childhood days. His grandfather used to recite Kashi Ram Das?s the Mahabharata. Munda learnt the verses by heart. He has also read Rabindranath Tagore and Sarat Chandra.

His Calcutta visit aims at wooing tourists from West Bengal. ? But, the tourism sector can yield prompt results. Jharkhand has immense potential for tourism,? he added.