Chennai: Days after DMK MP Kanimozhi alleged that a security officer at the airport questioned her nationality after she said she did not know Hindi, and opposition leaders said that the Centre was trying to impose Hindi with its New Education Policy, another controversy is brewing now.
Accusing the ruling BJP at the Centre of functioning with the ‘First Agenda’ of imposing Hindi in non-Hindi speaking States, DMK president M K Stalin condemned Union Ayush Ministry Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha’s remarks asking those who wanted Engish during a virtual meeting ‘could leave’.
In a statement here, he demanded stern action against Rajesh Kotecha for his ‘uncultured’ and ‘uncivilised’ behaviour with 37 delegates from non-Hindi speaking States, including a group of yoga and naturopathy practitioners from Tamilnadu, during a virtual meeting.
Since Hindi was predominantly used during the virtual training of master trainers, the participants from non-Hindi speaking States expressed their concern over the loss of communication. But their pleas met with no response.
Moreover, while addressing the participants on the last day of the programme on Thursday, Kotecha said on camera that he would speak only in Hindi as he was not fluent in English and that participants who wanted English, ‘could leave’.
Condemning his remarks, Stalin referred to the ‘Are you Indian’ taunt on DMK MP and his sister Kanimozhi by a CISF woman personnel at the airport recently and said, the Centre allowing one officer after other to speak in such a manner clearly showed the BJP’s agenda of imposing Hindi by using its authorities.
“‘Had the Centre taken action on the Kanimozhi incident, the Ayush Ministry Secretary would not have spoken like this at the virtual meet”, he added.
Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that such incidents did not recur, he also wanted Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to exert pressure on Modi to ensure that such meetings convened by the Centre should be held only in English, which acts as a connecting language in non-Hindi speaking States.
“It is natural that a question mixed with anger will flash in the minds of Tamil people that Kotecha has been given two years extension only to brazenly launch pro-Hindi campaign and insulting the Tamil language”, he added.
He also said it does not behove well to Kotecha’s stature for speaking in a ‘threatening’ manner by asking the names of participants from Tamilnadu for asking to provide the training in English.
Kotecha’s ‘could leave’ remarks also drew strong condemnation from Ms Kanimozhi, PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss and Makkal Needhi Maiyam founder and actor-politician Kamal Haasan.
Stating it as highly condemnable, Kanimozhi asked how long this attitude of excluding non-Hindi speakers could be tolerated and demanded the suspension of Kotecha, besides initiating disciplinary proceedings against him.
In a tweet, she said the statement of Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha that non Hindi speaking participants could leave during a Ministry’s training session speaks
volumes about the Hindi domination being imposed.
“This is highly condemnable…Govt should place the Secretary under suspension and initiate appropriate disciplinary proceedings”, she said.
“How long is this attitude of excluding non Hindi speakers to be tolerated?”, she asked.
Dr Ramadoss also condemned it and termed it as ‘dangerous’ and went against ‘democratic principles’. In a statement here, he said though Hindi was the official language of India, English was the connecting languague and it was being used for communication between non-Hindi speaking States.
Kotecha’s remarks not only showed his ‘audacity’ but also not qualified to hold such a post.
“Imagine What would have been the consequences from Hindi-speaking states, if a Tamil officer, who does not know English and posted in place of Kotecha, had said he would only teach only in Tamil”, he asked.
Ramadoss urged the State government to condemn the remarks of Kotecha and write to the Centre to take action against him. Kamal Haasan in a tweet said “it is not Hindi government, it is Indian government…one should not forget it”.
“Participants from Tamilnadu not asking Ayush officials how will you know about our system of medicine if you are not fluent in Tamil, showed their magnanimity,” he said.