Made in Bharat

Mocking new health minister Mansukh Mandaviya's English underlines the political elitism Modi's India has rejected.

Topics
English | indian politics | Bharatiya Janata Party

Shekhar Gupta  |  New Delhi 

Shekhar Gupta

WHICH side of the debate are you on over the online mocking of the new Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya’s proficiency with English? One side objects to these attacks as ridiculous, unfair and pompous. For early disclosure, I am on this side.

It brings back to me the famous—but now forgotten—words that late Raj Narain spoke when visiting London as India’s health minister in the Morarji Desai/Janata Cabinet of 1977-80. He was asked by journalists how could he run his ministry if he knew no English. Socialist Raj Narain, who we could describe as the ...

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First Published: Sat, July 10 2021. 09:10 IST
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