Delhi hospital official apologises to staff over controversial 'no Malayalam' circular
New Delhi: The nursing superintendent of GB Pant Hospital here has apologised for issuing a controversial circular that barred nursing staff from speaking in Malayalam on duty, saying he had "no intention to disrespect any Indian language, region, or religion".
The hospital had withdrawn the circular, which asked the nursing staff to converse only in Hindi and English, on Sunday, saying it was issued without any instruction or knowledge of the hospital administration and the Delhi government .
In a letter to the medical director of the hospital on Monday, the nursing superintendent explained the reasons behind issuing the circular and said it was issued in "a positive sense and there was no bad intention against Malayalam-speaking staff".
"In fact, the circular was misinterpreted and I didn't even get a chance to explain the same," he said.
The official said he had acted on the basis of complaints received on May 31, June 1 and June 2.
"The gist of the complaint was that most of the staff communicates in regional language due to which other staff members as well as attendants of the patients feel helpless. It was requested to sort out the matter Complainant clearly mentioned Malayalam language, the letter by the nursing superintendent read.
Earlier, too, patients and attendants had complained verbally to seniors about some staff members using their regional language, he said.
The patients would assume they had some serious health issues and that's why languages are changed to hide their condition. Hence, the circular was issued to avoid any confusion due to language barrier , the nursing superintendent said.
"Even then, if feelings of any staff were hurt, I regret and offer an apology for the same," he said.
On Monday, the Delhi Health Department had issued a memo to Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (GIPMER) in connection with the controversial circular.
A source said the health department had asked the hospital to "explain why such an order was issued".
An official of the G B Pant nurses' association said there are around 850 nurses working at the hospital and of them, around 400 are Malayali.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
