Delhi,July 19:Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari has said that linking Urdu with a particular religion or region was a "mental sickness" which is harming the national interests. Speaking at a three-day seminar on ‘Promotion and Development of Urdu’ in New Delhi yesterday, Mr. Ansari said that there is a misperception that Urdu language belongs to Muslims, but this is totally wrong.
The Vice President, himself an expert of Urdu language, expressed concern over the declining popularity of Urdu and called upon the people and groups concerned to take steps to promote the language. Quoting the 2001 Census, he said that Urdu was spoken by 51.5 million people across India.