TN Assembly: Tanglish row rocks House on day of Anthem resolution

CHENNAI: On a day when the Chief Minister led the resolution seeking prominence for the Tamil Anthem at government events in the State, underscoring the importance of safeguarding mother tongue, Finance Minister N Marie Wilson shot back at MDMK Kadayanallur MLA TM Rajendran's suggestion to consider delivering his speech in 'good' Tamil, instead of mixing English words.

The Finance Minister, delivering his reply in the slang of north Tamil Nadu, said that was his way of speaking and that he wouldn't change it to suit others.

Participating in the debate on the Revised Budget, Kadayanallur MDMK MLA T M Rajendran appreciated the Finance Minister for his command of English, while urging him to give greater prominence to Tamil and use Tamil expressions effectively.

Responding, Wilson said language-based criticism had become frequent in the House, along with remarks concerning caste and women. "I have been in the education sector over 30 years, and most of my communication has been in English," he said, defending his language choice.

The minister went on to train his guns on fellow first-time MLA Rajendran. "My Christian faith has taught me the language of love, peace and compassion. Some people may not know that language, however much Tamil they learn, " Wilson said.

Rejecting the criticism, he said, "Am I being mocked or ridiculed because of my language? I can speak only this way. This is my style. Accept it. I cannot change myself for everyone."

Speaker Prabhakar intervened and urged both sides to take the issue lightly and end the exchange. He also pointed out that Rajendran himself had repeatedly used the word "Budget", instead of the Tamil term "Nidhinilai Arikkai".

School Education Minister Rajmohan said every region had its own distinctive Tamil, from Nellai and Madurai to Kumari and Chennai, and stressed that promoting pure Tamil should not mean dismissing regional speech. He said Tamil's richness lay in embracing all its regional forms. DMK leader and former minister EV Velu also intervened, saying it wasn't wrong to be bilingual in Tamil Nadu, and seconded the view that slang in Tamil is an accepted form of expression. Velu tried to put things in context on the appeal made by the MDMK legislator, an orator hailing from the Tirunelveli region, considered the cradle of the Tamil language.

As part of his talk, Marie Wilson also highlighted government reforms, saying the Chief Minister had held several departmental review meetings over the past 60 days.

Claiming that nearly Rs 15,000 crore had reached the State exchequer in 65 days, he said the progress was the result of the collective effort of the entire Cabinet.