BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday thanked the Jharkhand Government for recognising Oriya as a second language of the state. Welcoming the stamp of approval by the Jharkhand Cabinet, the Chief Minister said it would safeguard the interests of lakhs of Oriyas living in Jharkhand and provide an opportunity for the development of the language. The Chief Minister wrote a letter to his Jharkhand counterpart Arjun Munda appreciating his decision in response to the demand of the Oriyas staying in the neighbouring state. The Jharkhand Cabinet had on Tuesday put its seal of approval for recognising both Bengali and Oriya as the second languages of the state along with 10 other dialects. The issue had cropped up in the Monsoon Session of the Assembly with members, cutting across partylines, demanding that a resolution be passed requesting the Jharkhand Government to declare Oriya as the second language. The members alleged that the Jharkhand Government was planning to declare Bengali and Santhali as the second official languages bypassing Oriya. Several members of Utkal Samaj had also staged a dharna demanding second language status to Oriya as large number of Oriyas reside in the state.
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