DMK MP Kanimozhi Saturday demanded the suspension of AYUSH Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha for saying non-Hindi participants “could leave” a recent ministry training session. Taking to Twitter, Kanimozhi, who represents the Thoothukudi constituency in Tamil Nadu, condemned Kotecha’s statement and sought disciplinary proceedings against him.
“The statement of Secretary of the Union Ministry of AYUSH Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha that non-Hindi speaking participants could leave during a Ministry’s training session speaks volumes about the Hindi domination being imposed. This is highly condemnable…,” Kanimozhi said.
“Govt should place the Secretary under suspension and initiate appropriate disciplinary proceedings. How long is this attitude of excluding non Hindi speakers to be tolerated,” she added.
The statement also elicited a sharp reaction from Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram, who said the insistence of speaking in Hindi was “totally unacceptable”.
“AYUSH training in Hindi ignores Tamil Nadu delegates. Not knowing English is understandable, but this arrogance of asking those who don’t know Hindi to leave and insisting on speaking in Hindi is totally unacceptable,” he said. Karti, the son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, represents Tamil Nadu’s Sivaganga constituency.
