New Delhi: Four Meghalaya MLAs walked out of the state assembly on March 20, the first day of the Budget Session, in protest against the governor, Phagu Chauhan, addressing the House in Hindi.
The state’s main languages are Khasi, Garo, Jaintia and English, and most of the population does not understand Hindi.
All four MLAs were from the Voice of People’s Party, which is in the opposition.
Television footage of the session shows VPP chief and Nongkrem MLA Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit raising an objection as soon as the governor begins his address. He said that Meghalaya is not a Hindi-speaking state and also mentioned that the people of Meghalaya had decided to part ways with Assam primarily on the language issue.
“The Centre did not pay heed to Meghalaya’s demand for the inclusion of Khasi and Garo languages in the 8th Schedule (of the Constitution). Therefore, I appeal to you sir that the governor should address us in the language that we understand,” Basaiawmoit said, according to Times of India.
Speaker Thomas A Sangma, however, allowed the governor to deliver his speech in Hindi, upon which more MLAs began to stand up.
“This goes against the sentiment of the people, we condemn the governor for addressing us in the language that we don’t understand,” Basaiawmoit continued.
Chief minister Conrad Sangma stood up and said that the governor cannot read in English and this is a “limitation that is there.” Sangma added that a translated speech was circulated already.
The four members then walked out.
In 2018, MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh, then a Congress MLA who is now in Conrad Sangma’s National People’s Party, had staged a walkout after governor Ganga Prasad spoke in Hindi in the assembly.