Social media storm over politicians’ English proficiency triggers debate in Kerala

A war of words has erupted on social media in Kerala over the English language proficiency of political leaders, after memes on Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) national president and Rajya Sabha MP A.A. Rahim’s English bite during his visit to Kogilu Layout in Bengaluru, where a few hundred allegedly illegal structures were demolished, went viral.

The controversy escalated to the point that Mr. Rahim publicly admitted his need to improve his language skills, while stressing that what mattered more was his act of empathising with the displaced.

Ministers such as V. Sivankutty also came to his support, posting on social media that actions matter more than words. The political battle has seen old video clips of Parliamentary debates featuring leaders such as the late Congress stalwart K. Karunakaran and Indian Union Muslim League leader P.K. Kunhalikutty resurfacing online to bolster opposing arguments.

Social critic M.N. Karassery remarked that while people may agree or disagree with Mr. Rahim’s statements, mocking his language misses the point. “Former Prime Minister and multilinguist Jawaharlal Nehru used to carefully listen to Opposition Leader A.K. Gopalan’s speeches in Parliament despite his limited proficiency in English. When someone mocked Mr. Gopalan’s ‘broken English,’ Nehru retorted that what he had to say was not broken. Making fun of someone’s language is akin to body shaming. The entire debate seems like an attempt to deflect attention from the real issue, which is the displacement of people,” he said.

Academic and author J. Devika expressed dismay at the language debate on a day when socially conscious citizens were anxious about the Supreme Court’s stance on the Aravalli Hills and bail for the Unnao rape case accused.

“I cannot fathom the Malayali state of mind. We have had extensive discussions in Kerala about the significance of English, and it has largely been accepted that one need not be obsessed with following the Queen’s English. So why raise this now? While I completely disagree with Rahim’s politics, the question is whether his lack of proficiency in English makes what he has to say any less important,” she said.

Author and English professor Manu Remakant, who hosts the popular online programme Cup of Kavitha introducing English poetry, argued that there is nothing wrong with making sincere efforts to improve language skills when one has access to a better platform.

“If you have the passion and desire to study and present things better, then there will be a sincere effort to improve. That effort to improve seems to be missing. For instance, our MPs in Delhi would benefit from improving their proficiency in Hindi. While memes mocking language shortcomings are disheartening, one should not bask in victimhood. Respect for a language is essential,” he said.