Political parties and candidates neglect the second official language of the state, disregarding the concerns of the Urdu-speaking electorate.
Mohammad Alamullah | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — As Bihar gears up for the Lok Sabha elections, a glaring omission has emerged in the realm of electoral politics — the exclusion of the Urdu language. Despite being the second official language of the state, Urdu finds itself sidelined in the electoral discourse, much to the dismay of millions of Urdu-speaking voters across the state.
Syed Afzal Abbas, Chairman of Bihar State Shia Waqf Board and an active participant in election campaigns, recently faced criticism for neglecting Urdu on his Facebook page. Despite seeking support for JDU candidate Mujahid Alam from Kishanganj, Urdu failed to make an appearance on his social media platform. Similar grievances were expressed towards other political figures, including Dr. Muhammad Javed of the Congress, whose Facebook page lacked Urdu content, disregarding the significant Urdu-speaking electorate.
Urdu, a language revered for its rich literary heritage, holds sway over more than 1.3 million voters in the state. Despite its cultural significance, political parties and candidates have failed to acknowledge the importance of Urdu in engaging with the electorate.
Despite the prevalence of Urdu-speaking communities in constituencies such as Kishanganj, Katihar, and Purnia, political campaigns predominantly rely on Hindi, sidelining the linguistic preferences of a significant portion of the electorate.
Prominent political figures, including Dr. Shakeel Ahmed Khan and Syed Faisal Ali, have also come under scrutiny for their reluctance to incorporate Urdu into their social media outreach efforts. The absence of Urdu content on their Facebook pages reflects a broader trend of neglect towards linguistic diversity in Bihar’s electoral politics.
The marginalisation of Urdu in electoral campaigns not only undermines the linguistic rights of millions of voters but also perpetuates a cycle of exclusion and alienation. As the political landscape of Bihar evolves, political parties and candidates must recognise the importance of linguistic inclusivity and engage with Urdu-speaking voters in a meaningful manner.
Advocates of Urdu language rights are calling for urgent action to rectify this systemic neglect. With the fate of Bihar’s Urdu-speaking electorate hanging in the balance, the onus lies on political stakeholders to ensure that Urdu finds its rightful place in the electoral arena, thereby fostering a more inclusive and representative democracy.
