Finance Minister Sitharaman Defends Multilingual Speech Rights After TMC MP Objects to Hindi Address in Parliament

Trinamool MP Saugata Roy expressed difficulty comprehending Finance Minister's Hindi speech in Parliament.

New Delhi:

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman strongly rebuked TMC MP Saugata Roy on Thursday when he objected to her speaking in Hindi during a parliamentary session. She emphasized that translation technology enables members to listen to speeches in any preferred language.

While discussing the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill in the Lok Sabha, Roy mentioned his struggle to understand the minister's Hindi speech, stating, "Nirmala ji spoke in Hindi. I could not follow what she said because we are Bengalis; we don't follow so much of Hindi."

Chair Jagdambika Pal promptly reminded Roy that House proceedings were available in multiple languages through the Parliament app.

Roy responded by declaring, "We are Bengalis, and we will remain Bengalis," which prompted Pal to caution him, saying, "You are Bengali, but you cannot speak of Hindi in this manner."

Sitharaman intervened forcefully, questioning Roy's objection: "I may speak in Hindi, I may speak in Tamil, I may speak in Telugu, I may speak in English. How does it matter to the honourable member?" She highlighted the translation system available to all members, allowing them to receive translations in their preferred languages.

The Finance Minister further suggested that Roy's linguistic complaint was an attempt to divert attention from the Bill, stating, "He has not read the Bill thoroughly, and because he wants to divert from the topic, he is bringing all these things. I take objection, and it should be on record."

While introducing the Bill in the Lok Sabha, Sitharaman explained that its purpose is to establish a "dedicated and predictable resource stream" for both health and national security, which she described as domains of national importance.