Kanimozhi Demands Suspension of Ayush Secretary for Asking non-Hindi Doctors to Leave Training Session

DMK leader and Lok Sabha member Kanimozhi on Saturday demanded the suspension of AYUSH secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha for allegedly asking non-Hindi speaking doctors to leave a training session.

In a tweet, Kanimozhi said: "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."

She 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?"

Agreeing with Kanimozhi, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said, “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."

In a tweet in Tamil, DMK chief MK Stalin also called for action against the secretary, urging the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to ensure that such incidents do not occur again.

Condemning Kotecha for his act, Stalin said it was shameful on the part of the secretary to act in an "uncultured" and "uncivilised" manner. Stalin said a doubt has arisen in the minds of the people of Tamil Nadu whether Kotecha was given a two-year service extension only to insult their language.

Stalin, the Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, said Kotecha has also threatened the delegates of the training session from the state.

MDMK leader Vaiko and PMK founder S Ramadoss also condemned Kotecha.

The virtual training session for master trainers was organised by the Ministry of AYUSH.

Most of the speakers spoke in Hindi, which many delegates from non-Hindi speaking states, including 37 from Tamil Nadu said was difficult to follow.

Kotecha, while addressing the gathering said he was not fluent in English and will speak in Hindi and allegedly asked those seeking instructions in English to leave.

Kotecha on Saturday said a number of people who were not invited had entered the venue and had pestered him to speak in Engligh.

"The meeting was gate-crashed by several uninvited participants who were constantly nudging me to speak in English. While I was trying and speaking in both languages, these people who gained illegal access, were constantly interrupting me by repeating ‘Only English, Only English’," The Print quoted him as saying.

“I humbly conveyed that I am not fluent in English, but trying to speak in both languages and if they are unable to follow, they can leave,” he added.

This is one among several recent instances where Kanimozhi has raged against alleged Hindi imposition. A few days ago, the MP had accused a CISF official of questioning her ‘Indian-ness’ when the DMK leader requested the official to speak in either English or Tamil since she didn’t know Hindi.