Urdu was not only the language of Muslims but of the entire country, former Vice President Hamid Ansari said today while asserting that now it was being spoken across the world.

He expressed disappointment that Urdu had become a politicised issue and said, "...an opinion was formed that Urdu belongs to Muslims."

He was speaking at the launch of the Urdu version of online news portal 'The Wire'.

The former Rajya Sabha chairman further said one can easily find Urdu speaking people in south India, in West Bengal and in other parts of the country.

"It is the language of the entire country," he said, adding that nowadays there were Urdu speaking people in Canada, the US, Australia and other parts of the world.

When asked if Urdu could also be a means of livelihood, he said no but that did not mean one should not learn it.

He said it was the biggest shortcoming of Urdu but what one can say and describe in the language cannot be done in any other language.