Extensive use of Hindi by treasury benches a problem for MPs from south: CPI(M) MP John Brittas

New Delhi: CPI(M) MP John Brittas on Sunday said many members of Parliament from the treasury benches were choosing Hindi more and more for their speeches, posing a huge problem for the southern MPs and those from other non-Hindi speaking states.

In an interview with PTI, Brittas said even ministers who are well-versed in English were using Hindi. He called it an attempt to make Hindi the "de facto language" of the Parliament.

"This is not an isolated incident. I feel this is part of an orchestrated move. there is a planned move to ensure that Hindi is made the de facto language," Brittas said.

"There have been systematic attempts to impose Hindi, not only in Parliament also outside. In Parliament, I know that there is a new practice that has been adopted... mostly treasury benches and the ministers speak in Hindi alone, with an exception of one or two ministers," Brittas said.

The Left leader said that earlier, there was a practice of responding in English if a question was asked in English. "But now that healthy precedent has gone away, the sensitivity has been shed."

Brittas also alleged that when some of the treasury bench members choose to speak in English, they get a signal to switch to Hindi. "There is a subtle instruction that is there that they should interact in Hindi alone."

Sticking to his guns, the Marxist leader chose to reply in Malyalam to the Hindi responses he received to his special mentions and a zero-hour notice in Rajya Sabha from Ravneet Singh Bittu, Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries.

Brittas said that letters addressed from the Union government to South MPs are written in English, and a norm was broken when he received the responses in Hindi.

Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai threw his weight behind the politician and slammed the central government for "excessive use of Hindi" as a language of communication.

Brittas said he felt compelled to reply in Malayalam as it was not an isolated incident.

"This is not only this particular minister, we get so much of communication in Hindi. Since they are all random communications, we overlook it," he said.

"But in this particular case, it was not one letter or two letters, it was a series of letters, not only addressed to me but addressed to many other members whom I know from south India. That's why I was compelled to reply in Malayalam," he said.

Brittas questioned the emphasis on Hindi by the Union government and recalled his days as a journalist in Delhi in the late 1980s when he covered Parliament.

"Almost 80 to 90 per cent of the discourse in Parliament used to be in English at that time. I'm not saying that is right. But I am saying it happened to be like that," he said.

"People think that BJP is one party which is intending to impose Hindi, but, nevertheless, I would request the BJP leaders to look at the antecedents of their leaders too. One of the tallest leaders of the BJP, LK Advani, used to always speak in English in Parliament. That was in a way balancing the Hindi delivery of his senior colleague, Atal Bihari Vajpayee," Brittas said.

The Rajya Sabha MP from Kerala also pointed out that his state has not adopted Hindi as an official language.

"The Official Languages Act 1963 says English should be used for communication between the Union and any state which has not adopted Hindi as its official language," he said.

Brittas also alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah made many statements in favour of Hindi, but failed to accord same respect to other languages.

"If you look at the statements of the Honorable Home Minister, you would see a number of statements in favour of Hindi. That is fine, but he is the Home Minister of this country who is the prime custodian of the integrity, unity and also centre-state relations.

"Understanding the sensibility and sensitivity of such matters, including language, is the cardinal responsibility of the Home Minister of this country. If he harps on Hindi, Hindi like that, I have no problem. But it should not be at the cost of other languages," the Kannur-born leader said.

Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments on opposition parties creating a "north-south divide" that he made during his reply to the motion of thanks to the President's address in Rajya Sabha, Brittas said the southern states are being penalised for their performance.

"When he speaks in terms of we intend to create a south divide or a north divide, he doesn't understand the fact that southern states have been penalised for their performance," he said.

"The funds which are supposed to come to Kerala have been denied to us. Whatever we contribute to the Union as part of the taxes, we only get a pittance out of it. And the reason which is cited is that you have already crossed the threshold," he said.

The national capital earlier this year witnesses two protests staged by the opposition-ruled states, which alleged they were short-changed on their due share of taxes.

On February 7, Karnataka Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, staged a protest at Jantar Mantar.

The very next day, the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), led by Kerala Chief Minister Pinnarayi Vijayan, held a protest, which was joined by other non-Congress I.N.D.I.A. bloc parties.