PATNA: Days after Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren raised eyebrows with his remarks on Bhojpuri and Magahi languages, his Bihar counterpart, Nitish Kumar, on Monday, said people of the two neighbouring states are brothers, who harbour love for each other.
He asserted that all languages should be respected in a diverse country such as India.
"Bihar and Jharkhand are brothers; we belong to one family. I don't know what people say for political gains...Even though Jharkhand was separated from us, we only have love for them," said Kumar after winding up his public interaction programme 'Janata Ke Darbaar Mein Mukhyamantri'.
Soren, in a recent interview to a news channel, claimed that the people who fought for a separate state of Jharkhand did so for tribal languages, and not Bhojpuri and Magahi.
He also alleged that those who raped women during the statehood movement abused the victims in Bhojpuri.
The Bihar unit of the BJP had described the comments of Soren as "highly objectionable" and said that they were aimed at dividing the society.
Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in November 2000 and Soren's party, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), played a key role in strengthening the statehood movement.
Kumar, during the day, said, "India is the country where people speak different languages. Whether it is Bhojpuri or Magahi, we must respect all languages.
" Asked about vaccination record set by Bihar on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 71st birthday, Kumar congratulated the people of the state for the feat.
"Bihar has written a golden chapter in history by administering 33,09,685 doses of COVID-19 vaccines during the special drive on September 17. I am sure that the state's health department will continue to work with similar dedication in the future," he added.
An official at the chief minister's office later said that Kumar met over 120 people during the public interaction programme, listened to their complaints and grievances and directed officials concerned to look into the problems.