NEW DELHI: In a language war of sorts, CPM deputy leader in Rajya Sabha John Brittas on Sunday raised objections to junior rail and food processing minister Ravneet Singh writing official responses to him in Hindi. “In a compelling gesture of protest”, Brittas has written to the minister in Malayalam.
The minister in his written replies to Brittas on issues pertaining to the quality of food served in trains and the need for more bogies for the general class passengers during Special Mentions and Zero Hour in the Upper House, has used chaste Hindi. Brittas has said this was against the convention of responding to MPs from South India in English.
“It has been a norm and precedent that letters addressed from Union govt to south MPs are written in English. Lately however that’s not the case, and @RavneetBittu makes it a point to write exclusively in Hindi. Am compelled to reply to him in Malayalam!” Brittas said in a post on X.
In an official statement, the CPM lawmaker said Kerala hasn’t adopted Hindi as an official language. He cited the provisions of the Official Languages Act, which mentions that English has also to be used for all official purposes of the Union govt and for the transaction of business in Parliament. He added that the law also specifies that English shall be used for communication between the Union and any state which has not adopted Hindi as its official language.
“The recent pattern of Hindi-only replies contravenes these statutory language provisions, posing a barrier to effective communication and hindering MPs from non-Hindi-speaking regions in their parliamentary work,” Brittas said.
He has said that the repeated Hindi-only replies suggest a deliberate policy, prompting his decision to respond in Malayalam. The MP also said the issue is not unique to him but also affects other MPs from southern states.