NEW DELHI: DMK leader and Rajya Sabha MP MM Abdulla responded to Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu’s Hindi letter, saying that he did not understand Hindi and requested that official communications be sent in English instead.
The response by the DMK MP follows a letter from the Union minister of state for railways, dated October 21, which raised concerns about hygiene and food quality on trains. “You will recall that you had raised the matter in Rajya Sabha on August 5 under ‘Special Mention’ regarding the quality and cleanliness of food provided by Railways and stopping unauthorized selling in trains and stations,” the Union minister had written in Hindi.
MM Abdulla shared images of both Bittu’s letter and his response, saying despite repeated requests, the Union minister continued to communicate in Hindi. He remarked that this time, he aimed to respond in a manner Bittu would understand and hoped for a change in approach.
“The letter from the office of minister of state for railways is always in Hindi. I called the officials posted in his office and said that I didn’t know Hindi, please send the letter in English, but the letter was in Hindi. I have sent a reply in a way he would understand and act accordingly,” he said.
This happens after, recently a bitter war of words broke out between TN CM Stalin and governor RN Ravi over Celebration of Hindi Month valedictory function along with the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Chennai Doordarshan . The DMK supremo also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reconsider the Centre’s decision to hold Hindi-oriented events in non-Hindi speaking states, arguing that such initiatives could strain relationships among regions with distinct linguistic identities.
“If the Union government wishes to proceed with these events, I suggest that local language celebrations in each state be given equal prominence,” Stalin had said in his letter to PM Modi.