JOIN USTamil Nadu: Retired govt doctor alleges he was denied loan for not knowing Hindi
A retired government doctor from Ariyalur district in Tamil Nadu has alleged that he was denied loan by a branch manager of a nationalised bank for not knowing Hindi, prompting Opposition parties in the state to term the incident as another example of “blatant imposition of Hindi.”
Dr C Balasubramanian, 76, said he approached the manager of the Indian Overseas Branch (IOB) in Gangaikondacholapuram, a historic town associated with the famed Chola Kingdom, seeking a loan to construct a commercial complex in Jayankondam town against properties owned by him in his native village of Yuthapallam.
After the incident came to light, Vishal Narayan Kamble, the manager of the branch who hails from Maharashtra, was on Tuesday transferred to IOB’s regional office in Tiruchirapalli.
When Dr Balasubramanian approached Kamble for the loan, he flagged jurisdiction issue in the beginning for denying the loan and later asked Dr Balasubramanian whether he knew Hindi. “When I told him, I could only speak Tamil and English, the branch manager asked me why I can’t speak Hindi when he speaks Hindi though hailing from Maharashtra. He refused to give me a loan. I told him he was wrong,” the doctor who retired from government service in 2001, told DH.
Dr Balasubramanian has sent a legal notice to the bank manager seeking a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the mental stress he has undergone due to the behaviour of Kamble. “The manager treated me and my friend very bad and this should not have happened. If the manager does not know Tamil, he should speak to people through an interpreter rather than asking customers whether they know Hindi,” he said.
The retired government servant sought to know how the common man will seek loans from banks if the managers insist on speaking a particular language.
As his complaint attained political prominence with DMK chief M K Stalin and PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss condemning the incident, Dr Balasubramanian said he sent the notice only to ensure that the branch manager changes his attitude.
“I sincerely hope he is not punished. My only intention behind bringing the issue to the public is to ensure that the attitude of the manager towards people changes. If an educated person like me is treated this way, what will happen to people who are less privileged?” he asked.
In a statement, Stalin said the frenzy to impose Hindi is being taken to different proportions in Tamil Nadu and questioned the “arrogance” of the bank manager. “Is the BJP government behind this (imposition of Hindi)? Whatever it is, never play with the emotions of Tamils. Even a small fire can turn into a wildfire. Beware,” Stalin said in the statement.
Ramadoss said the bank manager should “sent off” to Uttar Pradesh and reiterated the party’s demand to employ Tamil-speaking people in Central Government offices in the state.
This is the latest in a series of incidents in Tamil Nadu where “Hindi is being imposed” on the people like DMK MP Kanimozhi being asked at the Chennai Airport whether she was an Indian for not speaking Hindi and a Secretary-level officer asking doctors from the state to leave a virtual conference for not knowing the language.