A political debate erupted in the Tamil Nadu assembly on Monday after an opposition member criticized Finance Minister N Marie Wilson's language skills, pronunciation, and grammatical errors during his August 5 budget speech.

MDMK MLA T M Rajendran, who represents the Kadayanallur constituency, raised concerns over Wilson using English extensively and skipping Tamil sentences. Rajendran suggested that School Education Minister A Rajmohan assist Wilson in improving his Tamil and urged the Finance Minister to speak in impeccable Tamil in the future.

In response, Wilson defended his background and communication style, emphasizing his focus on governance and state development. He noted that he worked in the education sector for 25 to 30 years, communicating primarily in English, and stated he would speak in his own style.

Key details from the Assembly proceedings include:

Government Achievements: Wilson stated that the government under Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay brought Rs 15,000 crores into the treasury over the past 60-75 days through reforms. Defense by Ministers: School Education Minister A Rajmohan and DMK leader E V Velu defended Wilson, emphasizing the state's dual-language policy and regional dialects.

Assembly Rules: Speaker J C D Prabhakar cited Assembly Rule 86, which permits members to conduct proceedings in Tamil, English, or both, urging a focus on policy rather than personal remarks. Assembly Precedents: Speaker Prabhakar and PWD Minister Aadhav Arjuna recalled precedents, noting that former Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan used English and former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa permitted Telugu.

Speaker Prabhakar advised Wilson to stay calm and reminded the House that even Rajendran had used the English word 'budget' during his speech.