Murli Manohar Joshi Defines Urdu as an Indian Language

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi commended the initiatives undertaken during the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) administration under former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, which aimed to promote the reading of the Quran in Urdu among the Indian Muslim community.

Joshi emphasized that this policy was part of a broader effort to enhance accessibility to religious texts and foster a greater understanding of Islamic teachings among Urdu-speaking Muslims. During Vajpayee’s tenure from 1998 to 2004, the government implemented various programs focusing on education and cultural inclusion, which aimed to bridge the gap between different communities.

The initiative to encourage Quranic study in Urdu sought to address linguistic barriers that some individuals might face when reading the original Arabic text, thus making religious learning more approachable. This approach aimed to support literacy and education within the community while promoting the importance of understanding and interpreting religious texts in a familiar language.