DMK MP and deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, Kanimozhi wrote to Shripad Naik, the Union Minister of State for AYUSH, over the comments made by AYUSH Secretary, Rajesh Kotecha, and has asked that all official events are conducted in English. Rajesh Kotecha was seen asking those members who were attending the online national conference and training session to leave if they had a problem with him speaking in Hindi.
In the letter to the MoS, Kanimozhi condemned Katecha and said this was an act of "imposition of Hindi."
According to a Times of India report, Kanimozhi wrote, "I urge you to direct the officials in your ministry to make sure that all official events are conducted in English and wherever Hindi is used, a corresponding translation in English is provided."
Meanwhile, TOI reported that the AYUSH secretary has responded to Kanimozhi and has said that a separate session can be held for those who want it in English, "It is possible (to consider the suggestion) and even a separate training programme for officers from TN is possible,” he reportedly said.
Kotecha also said that he had not made any statements that could hurt sentiments. Earlier, he had told CNN-News18 that some uninvited participants had barged into the online meeting. He has now told TOI that “ a bunch of hooligans and government officials from Tamil Nadu” crashed the webinar. “The link was shared with 350 participants but 430 joined. They started shouting. The speech was bilingual. The video had been morphed," he told TOI.
This is the second time in two weeks that the DMK has registered its protest over the imposition of Hindi. Around a week ago, Kanimozhi said she had been asked by a CISF official at an airport to speak in Hindi to ‘prove that she is an Indian’.
Last week, Former Union Minister P Chidambaram and former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had come out in support of Kanimozhi and shared instances of language-based discrimination faced by them.