Oscar Baffles Parliament with Kannada Speech

New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI): Congress leader Oscar Fernandes' speech was all Greek and Latin to most of the members in Rajya Sabha today.

Fernandes spoke in his native Kannada on the Bill to accord special status to the backward districts of Hyderabad-Karnataka region, but most of the members could not understand a large part of his speech. This was because the translator was not available when Fernandes started speaking, only to come at the fag end of his speech.

Tiruchi Siva (DMK), who was in the Chair, told Fernandes that the facility of a translator could not be made available immediately and that he could participate in the discussion when the translator came. Moreover, Minister of State for Home RPN Singh, who moved the Bill, was unable to understand him.

But, several members from across party lines and mostly from the southern states encouraged him to continue speaking in Kannada, though Fernandes had at one point agreed to speak in Hindi.

Basawaraj Patil (BJP) also spoke in Kannada after Fernandes while Devender Gaud T (TDP) spoke in Telegu.