Nirmala Sitharaman’s jibe at Telangana’s Hindi speaking skills triggers controversy

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday waded into yet another controversy, this time with a statement in the Lok Sabha

Hyderabad: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday waded into yet another controversy, this time with a statement in the Lok Sabha, which many are now terming an insult of the Hindi-speaking skills of the people of Telangana.

“Jo Telangana se aate hai, unke Hindi kamzor bolre. Mera Hindi bhi kamzor hai, phir bhi kamzor Hindi ko kamzor Hindi main jawab de rahi hoon…” was what the Finance Minister said.

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This was in response to a question raised by Congress MP A Revanth Reddy in the Lok Sabha on Monday over the depreciation of the rupee.

Reddy had quoted a statement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister, on the rupee being ‘in the ICU’, and asked whether the Centre had any action plan to bring back the rupee home healthy from the ICU, without letting it go to the mortuary.

How Sitharaman straightaway picked on Revanth Reddy’s Hindi is not clear, because the videos from Lok Sabha TV and others that are being circulated do not show anyone else making fun of his Hindi.

Why Sitharaman brought language, and the manner in which the people of Telangana speak Hindi, into the issue is unclear. But her statement has triggered a war of words, with many pointing out that her words were an insult to not just Revanth Reddy but to the whole Telugu and non-Hindi speaking people.

While some tried to justify the Finance Minister saying that she had admitted that her own Hindi was weak, others have asked the point in raising the manner in which people from Telangana spoke Hindi. The MP’s question was quite clear, and she could have given a straight answer without bringing in the linguistic angle.

The issue in fact, did not end there, with Revanth Reddy’s reply to Sitharaman’s jibe on his Hindi, which had a reference to his caste, prompting Speaker Om Birla to caution him.

The Speaker said nobody in the House comes on the basis of caste or religion and warned that he would be forced to take action against anyone who uses such terms in the House.