Patna (Bihar): Meghalaya Governor Ganga Prasad on Saturday defended his address to the state assembly in Hindi and termed the opposition's attack on him as unfortunate.
Prasad insisted that Hindi should be promoted as connecting language across the county.
Talking to News18 in Patna, where he participated in a Hindi Sahitya Sammelan Program, Ganga Prasad said, "No one from public opposed it. I have been addressing people of Meghalaya in Hindi for months. No one even opposed me in remote villages. Instead, people admire when I speak in Hindi."
Reminding those opposing his move, he said his Republic day speech was also in Hindi and then nobody made it an issue then. "This is not something new in Meghalaya as even Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the people of state so many times in Hindi," said Prasad.
Not worried about the criticism from Congress and other opposition MLAs, the Governor was firm that Hindi needs to be promoted.
"I am holding a constitutional post. It's not about treasury bench or opposition. In my opinion Hindi should be promoted. Now, the PM addresses in Hindi during his foreign trips. Atal ji started this by delivering speech in Hindi at the UN. So, this process should continue," said Prasad.
Some MLAs, including from Congress party, had staged walk out from the Meghalaya Assembly as soon as the Governor started his speech in Hindi.
Congress MLA Ampareen alleged that the Governor, during his address, called Garo hills as "Gora hills".
Leader of opposition Mukul Sangma said the Governor should have spoken in the language which everyone understood.
However, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma defended Governor's selection of language saying Hindi was not a foreign language and the members were provided translated copies as well.
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