CPM’s John Brittas, Ravneet Singh Bittu locked in language war

John Brittas, the CPM deputy leader in Rajya Sabha, on Sunday raised objections to Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu writing official responses to him in the Hindi language.

Bittu, Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing, in his replies to Brittas on issues concerning the Indian Railways, used chaste Hindi, with Brittas saying this was against the conventional approach of responding to MPs from south India in English. “So I have also been forced to respond to the minister in Malayali,” Brittas said. In a post on X today, the CPM leader said: “It has been a norm and precedent that letters addressed from Union Govt to south MPs are written in English. Lately however, that’s not the case, and Ravneet Bittu makes it a point to write exclusively in Hindi. Am compelled to reply him in Malayalam!”

Bittu’s responses pertained to Brittas’ previous special mention and zero hour references in Rajya Sabha.