Language problems between members of Parliament again came to the fore in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, with DMK MP A. Ganeshamurthi and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal exchanging words on the issue.

Mr. Ganeshamurthi had, during question hour, asked a supplementary question on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to Tamil Nadu. Mr. Goyal said he had missed a part of the question in Tamil and asked the MP to repeat which specific project was being referred 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,” Mr. Ganeshamurthi remarked with Mr. Goyal responding that he can answer in Hindi while the translation is available for the MP.

Mr. Ganeshamurthi got some support from other members who also wanted responses in English to questions put in that language and not in Hindi. 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 Mr. Ganeshamurthi to repeat the question and the member asked the same in Tamil. Mr. Goyal then asked Mr. Birla 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],” Mr. Goyal said. Mr. Birla tried to calm the situation and while he generally speaks in Hindi, he spoke in English, saying’please member address to the Chair… no problem.”

Tharoor expresses anger

Last week, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, who were 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, with Mr. Tharoor using the word “apmaan” to the response in Hindi. Immediately after Mr. Tharoor made the remarks, Mr. Birla had said, “Ye apmaan nahi hain [this is not an insult].”