‘Bihar and Jharkhand are brothers...’: Nitish responds to Soren's remark on Bhojpuri and Magahi languages

Responding to his Jharkhand counterpart, the Bihar CM said that people from the two states love each other and need not make comments about each other.

Days after Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren’s remarks on Bhojpuri and Magahi languages triggered a major controversy, his counterpart from Bihar, Nitish Kumar, responded on Monday by saying that the two neighbouring states are brothers, adding that people on both sides have love for each other.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar (File Photo)

“Bihar was divided into two in 2000,” news agency ANI quoted Kumar as saying, as the Janata Dal (United) leader referred to Jharkhand’s formation from out of the southern part of Bihar in November that year. “People in both states have love for each other. I don’t know what people say politically. Even though Jharkhand was separated from us, we only have love for them,” he said.

Kumar then added that “such kind of things should never be thought of.” He further remarked, “Bihar and Jharkhand are brothers, we belong to the same family. People need not make comments about each other. They only have love for each other.”

In a recent interview, Soren had described Bhojpuri and Magahi as languages “imported from Bihar.” The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader had also said that people who allegedly raped women during movement seeking separate statehood for Jharkhand “used to abuse in Bhojpuri.”

While the two languages are widely spoken in Bihar, these are also used in pockets of the province to its south.

Jharkhand’s opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is in alliance with Kumar’s JD(U) in Bihar, had criticised Soren, accusing him of trying to create friction and polarise people on the basis of language. The ruling JMM, however, said that there was nothing wrong with the CM’s remark.