Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday pulled up a government officer, accusing him of "forgetting Hindi". While attending the Kisan Samagam in Patna organized at Bapu Auditorium in Patna, the Chief Minister got upset with some of the officers in attendance, who were reprimanded for speaking in English.
Kumar gave them advice and scolded them for not speaking Hindi, their own language. "What has happened to us? During Covid, people were stuck to their screens and after that everything has changed and people have forgotten their language. This is not right. You should use your state's language," he said.
The Kisan Samagam had been organized to prepare the fourth agricultural roadmap, and farmers were giving suggestions. However, Kumar's anger was sparked by the officers using English words from time to time. He questioned why they were not speaking properly in their own language and reminded them that farming is done by the common man.
The Chief Minister expressed his dismay at how people were forgetting their old language and their roots. He urged the officers to speak in their own language and to remember their heritage. Kumar further emphasized that the officers were called to give suggestions on agriculture and should, therefore, speak properly.
“What is this? Can you not say sarkaari yojana? I am an engineer by training and my medium of instruction was English. But it is another thing to use the language for academic pursuits. Why must you do so in day-to-day life?” Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
“I want to point out to you the incongruity of using so many English words. Is it England? You are working in Bihar, practising agriculture which is the profession of the common folks,” Kumar was quoted by PTI.
The official then said sorry, before resuming in Hindi.
The incident has caught the attention of many people, and the Chief Minister's words have been widely shared on social media.