Question in Tamil, reply in Hindi: Heated exchanges in LS over language

An MP’s decision to ask a question in Tamil triggered heated exchanges in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday between the Opposition and Treasury benches that spilled over to the issue of ministers giving replies in Hindi.

During Question Hour, DMK member A Ganeshamurthi asking a supplementary question about FDI inflows in Tamil. Union minister Piyush Goyal said he had missed the first part and wanted to know which project the member was referring to.

“If I ask a question in English, then the ministers should respond in English only… a member asks a question in Tamil and the minister replies in Hindi,” Ganeshamurthi said. Goyal responded by saying that he could answer in Hindi while the translation was available for the member.

Some opposition members shouted as they also sought to raise the issue of ministers replying in Hindi to questions asked in English. In recent times, there have been instances in the House when opposition members, especially from southern states, have protested against such a trend.
Speaker Om Birla asked Ganeshamurthi to repeat the question and the member asked the same in Tamil.

A visibly peeved Goyal asked the Chair for a ruling on whether there was any rule that a question asked in a language should be replied to in the same language.

“I will give the reply in Hindi… I also listened to the translation [of the question that was asked in Tamil],” the minister said.

As Ganeshamurthi again raised the issue, Birla smiled and asked the member to put on the headphones. Birla, who generally speaks Hindi in the House, spoke in English, saying, “Please member, address to the Chair… no problem.”

When it was the member’s turn to ask the second supplementary question, he said he would ask in Tamil only and raised the question. And Goyal gave the reply in Hindi.

Last week, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who were also former party colleagues, sparred over the minister replying to English questions in Hindi.

While responding to supplementary questions asked by members from Tamil Nadu in English, the civil aviation minister had replied in Hindi.

Soon after, Tharoor had commented that it was an “apmaan” (insult) that the minister was responding in Hindi.

Scindia had then responded that it was strange for the member to make such a comment. Immediately after Tharoor made the remarks, Speaker Birla had said, “Ye apmaan nahi hai (this is not an insult).”