Ruckus in Meghalaya Assembly over Governor's speech in Hindi

Shillong, Mar 20, 2023, IANS

Chaos erupted in the Meghalaya Assembly on the first day of the Budget session on Monday after Governor Phagu Chauhan delivered his speech in Hindi.

Four members of the Voice of the People Party (VPP), including MLA Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit, stormed out of the house.

Even though the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Speaker Thomas Sangma claimed that copies of the speech were given out in Hindi, Basaiawmoit argued that this was an improper gesture because English is the House's official language.

"The Central government was hesitant to recognise the Khasi and Garo languages, and the Governor was speaking to the house in Hindi," he said.

Although the Speaker urged the members to let the Governor finish his speech, the four VPP MLAs left the House shortly after.

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said: "We may have differences in opinion, but this is not a good gesture."