New Delhi: CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Sunday criticised the Union Government for responding to parliamentary interventions with "Hindi-only" responses, claiming that this violates statutory language provisions and makes it more difficult for members from non-Hindi-speaking regions to carry out their parliamentary duties.
"As a gesture of protest", Brittas said he wrote a letter in Malayam to Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh who had responded to his queries raised in Parliament in Hindi as against the "norm and precedent" of using English for communication with MPs from southern states.
The CP(M) MP took to X to flag the issue and also shared the minister's letters in Hindi and his reply to them in Malayalam on the microblogging site.
"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 Ravneet Bittu makes it a point to write exclusively in Hindi. Am compelled to reply him in Malayalam! (sic)" Brittas posted.
In a statement, Brittas' office said, "In a compelling gesture of protest, Dr John Brittas MP has conveyed his response in Malayalam to Shri Ravneet Singh, Minister of State of Railways & Food Processing Industries, PTI reported.
"This action draws attention to the ongoing issue of receiving Hindi-only replies from the Union Government in response to parliamentary interventions, despite the linguistic diversity of India and Dr. John Brittas's representation of Kerala, a state which hasn't adopted Hindi as an official language." The statement added that Brittas's Malayalam letter was a direct response to a series of replies he received exclusively in Hindi. The latest instance was replies from the Railway ministry to two special mentions and one Zero Hour notice raised in Rajya Sabha on 22.07.2024, 25.07.2024 and 05.08.2024.
The MP's office pointed out that as per clauses (a) and (b) of sub-section (1) of Section 3 of the Official Languages Act, 1963, English has also to be used for all official purposes of the Union and transaction of business in Parliament.
"Moreover, the Act explicitly provides under the first proviso to sub-section (1) of Section 3 that English shall be used for communication between the Union and any State which has not adopted Hindi as its official language," the statement said.
It added that the significance of these provisions cannot be understated, as they are intended to uphold the linguistic inclusivity of the Parliament, particularly with representatives from southern states, "where Hindi is neither the official language nor widely spoken, and to ensure unimpeded communication across linguistic diversities".
"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," the statement added.
In his letter, Brittas alleged that the "repeated Hindi-only replies" suggest a deliberate policy, prompting his decision to respond in Malayalam. He also noted that this issue is not unique to him but also affects other MPs from southern states.
"Historically, the Union Governments, conscious of both legal obligations and conventions, had consistently respected this language provision by issuing communications in English to MPs from non-Hindi-speaking states.
"However, this considerate practice appears to have recently diverged, warranting immediate correction," the statement said.
In his letter written in Malayalam, the CPI(M) MP said he can speak a little bit of Hindi and understand by listening, but cannot read it.
"It is also understood that you send letters in Hindi to other South Indian MPs who do not even understand Hindi. Neither I nor my colleagues intend at this stage to learn Hindi in order to read and understand your letters," he said.
Brittas also said that he would have ignored it if it was an isolated case.
"I am compelled to send such a reply in Malayalam, which is included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, as I understand from the successive letters. I hope you will try to read my letter as I try to read your letters," he added.