All Bengal govt communications in Bengali from Sept 1, Suvendu says in Assembly

Kolkata, Jul 20 (PTI) The West Bengal government will make all official communications in Bengali from September 1, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said in the Assembly on Monday and read out Amit Shah's letter, which suggested taking steps for the extensive use and development of Indian languages.

He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had, in the letter, urged him to take steps for the use of the Bengali language at every level of state administration.

"From September 1, the use of the Bengali language will be mandatory at every level of the state government," the chief minister said.

"We will use Bengali in all correspondence with the Centre and other states," he said, adding that communications with the Union government will be in Hindi along with Bengali.

Currently, official communications with the Centre are generally conducted in English.

The chief minister also announced that his government would take initiatives to promote a wider use of Bengali, stating the language must be given priority in all forms of official communication.

Special emphasis would be on issuing government notifications, directives, and office orders in Bengali, he said.

Adhikari said that during the Union home minister's three-day visit to West Bengal, Shah wrote him a letter in Bengali, highlighting Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee's views on language diversity.

"He was an ardent supporter of conservation, development, and the extensive use of Indian languages," said Shah in the letter, which Adhikari read out in the House.

During the inauguration of the country's first immersive language museum in Kolkata on Sunday, Shah emphasised the inseparable link between language and civilisation, saying the expression of a nation's culture was impossible without language, which could not exist without words born out of human emotions and expression.

Calling upon people to preserve India's multilingual ethos, he said, "Apart from mother tongue, learning another Indian language will not only help preserve one's own native tongue but also ensure the long-term vitality of all Indian languages." He said every individual shares a deep emotional bond with their mother tongue and this attachment should become an integral part of one's character.

In his letter, the home minister suggested it was necessary to ensure that from the land and land revenue department to the chief minister's office, file management, noting, departmental communications and orders are in Bengali.

Shah mentioned that Bengali language should be given priority in public services, digital administration, and other communications, websites, mobile apps, media advertisements and other governmental interactions.

The chief minister told the assembly that Shah urged that Bengali language should be used extensively in the registration of FIRs, complaint filing, citizen information, and public awareness messages to strengthen the people's faith in and their participation with the administration.

"Instead of a foreign language, Bengali and Rajbhasha Hindi can be used in official communications with the central government," the letter said.

Stating that file management, notings, departmental communications, and government notifications are effectively done in Hindi in the home ministry, Shah said in the letter that this experience strengthens the possibility of good governance using Indian languages.

"I believe that on the 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, your government will take effective steps for the extensive use and development of Indian languages," he said in that letter to Adhikari.

Shah said that such steps will not only strengthen good governance, but also contribute significantly to preserving Indian languages and culture.

Taking the cue, Adhikari announced that Bengali will be given priority in all internal government work across the state, including official correspondence, notifications, office orders, and other administrative communications.

Following the announcement, Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose said that since assuming office, he had advocated that all House proceedings be conducted in Bengali, adding that the use of Bengali had already begun in the Assembly's proceedings with the chief minister's support.

"There is a collective willingness and cooperation among everyone to conduct the Assembly's work in Bengali. Once the new decision comes into effect, the use of Bengali in the state's administration will become even more firmly established," he said. PTI