SHILLONG, Feb 4: The Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly do not bar the Governor from address the House in Hindi.
As per the Rules, there is no provision for a translator to be present in the House if the Governor’s speech is delivered in any language other than English.
An Assembly Secretariat official on Sunday said that it is against the rules to have a translator physically present on the floor of the House as it is not “common practice”.
The general practice is that if the Governor’s speech is delivered in Hindi, copies of the same are distributed among the members of the House beforehand, the official stated.
“Since every member receives a copy of the Governor’s speech, nothing goes amiss. The Governor will only read the passages that are mentioned in the speech,” he said.
In addition, the official said that members are free to communicate in their mother tongue under the Rules. “But they will need to circulate their speech beforehand in English among the members,” he said.
It should be noted that the VPP declared on Friday that they would not attend the Governor’s customary speech in the Assembly on February 16, the first day of the budget session, if he speaks in Hindi.
The four VPP MLAs had staged a walkout during the budget session in 2023, claiming that the Governor’s speech in Hindi had offended local sentiments.
It should be noted that in a letter addressed to Assembly Speaker, Thomas A Sangma on Friday, VPP Parliamentary Party secretary and party MLA, Heaving Stone Kharpran said, “I respectfully convey the decision of the PP meeting held on January 30, 2024, to appeal to you that the address of the Governor be made in English and if his Excellency is not in his capability to address the House in English, his office can arrange a translator during his entire speech for the interest and convenience of all the stakeholders.”
“Given the significance of the budget session and its implications for our constituents, it is imperative that all members of the Assembly are able to fully comprehend and engage with the proceedings. However, it has been observed that in previous sessions, the Governor addressed the House primarily in Hindi, which had caused great inconvenience to members who are not comfortable in that language and also keeping in mind that Hindi is not the official language of Meghalaya,” Kharpran said in his letter.
