Urdu has kept the country united and now steps should be taken to empower its secular nature. The Union Government will do whatever is needed to strengthen Urdu, said Congress President Sonia Gandhi at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Department of Urdu of Delhi University, on April 27. Ms Gandhi sent the message as she could not participate in the programme due to her busy schedule.
“Though Urdu is spoken all over the country, the Capital has some of the best Urdu speakers,” said Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Ms. Dikshit said the State Government was making efforts to develop Urdu and the language was also one of the official languages of the Government. Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Urdu was spoken not only by Muslims but by people of all faiths.
Dr. N.M. Kamal, Former head of Urdu Department, described the history of the Department and its role in the development of the Urdu language. The Urdu Department was set up in 1959. Minister of Minority Affairs Salman Khurshid was also present in the programme.