Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar drew attention when Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader T.R. Baalu sought a translation of his Hindi speech during the three-hour-long meeting of INDIA bloc leaders on December 19.
Rashtriya Janata Dal Rajya Sabha MP Manoj K. Jha had played the role of translator in the previous three meetings, bridging the language gap by conveying the speeches of both Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in English. However, on Tuesday, after Kumar's speech, Baalu reportedly requested Jha to provide a translation.
Before Jha could initiate the translation, Kumar allegedly reacted strongly, asserting that Hindi is the national language of India, and everyone should be able to understand it.
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According to reports, he went on to elaborate on the historical context of India's freedom struggle against the British and the imposition of English. Despite attempts by other leaders to calm the situation, no translation was provided for Kumar's or Yadav's speeches.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge initiated the discussion, with DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin as the first speaker, followed by Kumar.
To address the fallout from Kumar's outburst, subsequent speakers, who typically spoke in Hindi, switched to English, including Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party president Arvind Kejriwal.
In his address, Stalin reportedly criticized the Congress for contesting the recent Assembly elections independently, emphasizing that they should have united under the INDIA bloc banner. It is noteworthy that Stalin had a prior meeting with Kejriwal before the INDIA parties convened.
