Kanimozhi's Hindi Just Hit The Headlines

Brut India

DMK MP Kanimozhi alleged a Chennai airport guard questioned her "Indianness" because she couldn't speak Hindi. BJP dismissed the complaint as a political stunt. What's going on?

Transcript

00:00So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're Indian

00:09like how can you not speak Hindi?

00:12Just because you don't belong to one religion or don't speak a particular language or don't

00:20have one kind of identity doesn't make you less of an Indian.

00:30So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're

00:38Indian like how can you not speak Hindi?

00:42Just because you don't belong to one religion or don't have one kind of identity doesn't

00:48make you less of an Indian.

01:00So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're

01:10Indian like how can you not speak Hindi?

01:14Just because you don't belong to one religion or don't have one kind of identity doesn't

01:20make you less of an Indian.

01:22So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're

01:28Indian like how can you not speak Hindi?

01:34I was shocked.

01:35This happened in Chennai airport and we were going through the security and she was giving

01:41me instructions I could not understand.

01:43So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're Indian

01:51like how can you not speak Hindi?

01:54I said you cannot decide who I am and I'm going to complain and it didn't bother her

01:59even after she knew that I was an MP.

02:03That is immaterial but then you should not ask anybody.

02:09Just because you don't belong to one religion or don't speak a particular language or don't

02:17have one kind of identity doesn't make you less of an Indian and I think the greatness

02:23of this country is the acceptance of its diversity and inclusiveness.

02:28Somewhere we are losing that and that is actually what is going to divide this country.

02:35It is not the identities which people like to keep.

02:40It is trying to make this entire country into one thing, one homogeneous thing where nobody

02:47has an identity and it doesn't have its different shades and colours.

02:51That's very sad.

02:52But then of course when I landed here the officers met me and they apologised about

02:59what happened and they've already promised to start an enquiry and take action.

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