Row over Hemant Soren's remarks on Bhojpuri, Magahi
The Hindu
The chief minister claimed that Bhojpuri and Magahi are languages of Bihar and that speaking them could lead to the creation of a Bihar within Jharkhand.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Tuesday courted controversy by claiming that the tribal people who fought for a separate Jharkhand State did it for regional languages and not for Bhojpuri and Magahi, and that those who allegedly raped women during the statehood movement abused them in Bhojpuri.
The Bihar units of the BJP described the comments of Mr. Soren, who is also executive president of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), as ‘highly objectionable’ and alleged that they were aimed at dividing the society.
The JMM, however, defended him saying promotion of regional languages is long overdue in the State.