Will propose UNESCO to grant Bhojpuri heritage status, says Mauritius PM

Varanasi: Laying emphasis on promoting the Bhojpuri language worldwide, Mauritius Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth on Monday said here efforts were being made by his country to confer the language a heritage status.

"Mauritius will soon send a proposal to UNESCO urging it to include Bhojpuri language in the heritage list so that due respect could be given to our Bhojpuri language," he said.

Asserting that a lot of work was already going on in Mauritius to promote the language, the Prime Minister said, "The Bhojpuri language was even being taught to students in our schools with an aim of promoting it."

Jugnauth and his wife Sarojni today visited the Bhaisasur Ghat in the city on the eve of Dev Deepawali.

On a question that terrorism was being spread in the name of religion, he said it was not right to link religion with terrorism because "religion is purely associated with leading a peaceful life".

He also paid floral tributes to the martyred Indian soldiers here at the ghat.