Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday moved a bill in the Lok Sabha to levy cess on pan masala production units, triggering protests from some Opposition members over the hybrid language used in the title of the proposed legislation.
The English title read: "The Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025". Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy and DMK's T. Sumathy raised objections over the use of the word "se (from)" in the English title, apart from opposing the substance of the bill.
“The finance minister is trying to Hindiise herself. It says: Health Security se National Security Cess Bill. Ye kya hai? Hinglish hai. Na Hindi hai na angrezi hai (What’s this? It’s Hinglish. Neither Hindi nor English)," Roy said, speaking during a discussion on the bill. "The finance minister should explain this language,” he added.
Sumathy said the title of the bill reflected an attempt to “inject a certain cultural or linguistic flavour” and questioned the intent behind it. She began her intervention by registering her protest against the “hybrid language” used in the title.
“At the very outset, I would like to ask Madam finance minister a very simple yet profound question. Why is the English title of a bill framed as Health Security se National Security? Why this linguistic hybrid? Why this attempt to inject a certain cultural or linguistic flavour into what should be a neutral statutory title?” she asked.
Sitharaman was present in the House during the debate but did not respond initially to the objections raised. She, however, reacted sharply when Roy remarked during his speech that he couldn’t fully grasp the details of the bill as the finance minister spoke in Hindi.
“Nirmalaji also spoke in Hindi, so I couldn’t follow all that she said, because we are Bengalis, we don’t follow so much of Hindi,” Roy said. His comments drew objections from some BJP members, after which Sitharaman rose to intervene.
“I may speak in Hindi, I may speak in Tamil, I may speak in Telugu and I may speak in English. How does it matter to the honourable MP because the honourable Speaker has made arrangements that he can get the translation in any language he wants,” she said.
The finance minister "strongly objected" to Roy’s contention that he was unable to understand her speech because it was in Hindi, accusing him of attempting to divert from the substance of the bill.