Shillong, Mar 16: The maiden address by Governor, Ganga Prasad in Hindi to members of the tenth Meghalaya Assembly has inspired members of the House to participate in the discussion in their own languages.

On the first day of the budget session, it has been always the turn of the governor to deliver his speech to members of the Assembly.

Prasad read out a written text in Hindi for about 57 minutes which witnessed resentment among the MLAs.

Earlier before the governor entered the House, opposition Congress member from Mawlai, Process T. Sawkmie sought a clarification from the Speaker, Donkupar Roy if the governor’s address would be translated into English since most of the members do not understand Hindi.

The Speaker assured that “it will be done” but members, officers including media persons however found it difficult to follow what was said in Hindi by the governor and the text that was written in English.

In Meghalaya, English is the common language being spoken in the Assembly since the state has mixed tribes – Khasi, Jaiñtia and Garo, who are speaking different languages.

Sawkmie stood up alone inside the House to express his resentment while outside the House, a number of Opposition MLAs raised their voice against the governor for delivering his speech in Hindi.

In the afternoon, when the House reassembled, Sawkmie stood up again and termed the address of the governor in Hindi a “bad precedence” as it happened for the first time in the history of the state.

Speaking to reporters outside the House, the Speaker also admitted that it was the first time that the governor has delivered his speech in Hindi to members of the House.

When asked if members can also debate in Assembly in their own mother tongue (Khasi or Garo), the Speaker said, the members have to ensure that the speech they made in the House is translated and submitted in advance to the Assembly secretariat.

But Chief minister Conrad K. Sangma defended the governor’s address in Hindi, saying “It is not an odd thing (addressing in Hindi) and the governor was more comfortable speaking in Hindi, and it is not a foreign language. I did not see any reason why it should be an issue when everything was given in the document in English.”

Leader of opposition, Mukul Sangma said that the legacy (speaking in English) was exclusive and unique and the predecessors have also created this legacy.

The former Chief Minister said that though the governor has chosen to address in Hindi, which was his prerogative, but it would have been appropriated for him to deliver in the language which all can understand.

Mukul also said that it would be a problem to understand by all members of the House if members from Khasi Hills and Garo Hills started speaking in their own languages when they brought up discussion on issues related to the interest of the whole state in the House.

Congress MLA, George B. Lyngdoh said that there were some jumping of sentences and paragraphs and some words were read out of the written text.

“We had tough time flipping from one page to another and it was totally disconnected.

Congress legislator, Ampareen Lyngdoh said that she staged a walk out of the House alone as a mark of protest against the governor for speaking in Hindi.

She said that as a minister in the previous government, she had also opposed Hindi speaking in meetings without translation.

“I even did not attend meeting because of the language issue in my own state,” Lyngdoh said.

However lone MLA of the Khun Hynñiewtrep National Awakening Movement, Adelbert Nongrum termed the address in Hindi by the government as “a step to accomplish the BJP agenda” by starting with the language.

Nongrum said that he also participate in the debate on the governor’s address by speaking in Khasi language.