Mamata questions making Gujarati optional language in JEE exam

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday questioned the decision of including Gujarati as an optional language in the crucial Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main exam.

"Our country is India, which is home to so many religions, cultures, languages, creeds and communities. However, maligning all regions and regional languages is the intention of the government at the centre," she said on Twitter.

"Joint Entrance Exams so long were conducted in English and Hindi languages. Surprisingly, now only the Gujarati language has been added. Such a step is not at all praiseworthy."

"I love the Gujarati language. But, why have other regional languages been ignored? Why injustice is being meted out to them? If Gujarati has to be there, then all regional languages including Bengali must be there," CM Banerjee further stated.

"Unless this issue is decided gracefully, there will be strong protests all around as sentiments of people who speak other regional languages would be deeply hurt due to this injustice," she said.

JEE exam will be conducted in English, Hindi and Gujarati languages by National Testing Agency (NTA) from this year.