‘Grammatical Errors In Tamil’ Vs ‘My Unique Style’: Vijay Minister’s Budget Speech Sparks Assembly Row

Published 11 August 2026 · politics

News india ‘Grammatical Errors In Tamil’ Vs ‘My Unique Style’: Vijay Minister’s Budget Speech Sparks Assembly Row ‘Grammatical Errors In Tamil’ Vs ‘My Unique Style’

News india ‘Grammatical Errors In Tamil’ Vs ‘My Unique Style’: Vijay Minister’s Budget Speech Sparks Assembly Row ‘Grammatical Errors In Tamil’ Vs ‘My Unique Style’: Vijay Minister’s Budget Speech Sparks Assembly Row Published By, Last Updated: August 11, 2026, 09:42 IST The row erupted after DMK MLA TM Rajendran questioned Wilson's Tamil while participating in the Assembly proceedings. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay with state Finance, Planning, and Development N Marie Wilson. (Source: PTI) A dispute over Tamil in the Tamil Nadu Assembly has escalated into a political controversy, with Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson facing criticism from both the ruling DMK and the BJP over his language during the state Budget presentation. The row erupted after DMK MLA TM Rajendran questioned Wilson’s Tamil while participating in the Assembly proceedings. Rajendran said the Finance Minister’s Budget speech on August 5 had several “grammatical errors in Tamil" and noted that Wilson had shifted to English while presenting it. “At least in the future, when he gets the opportunity, the Finance Minister should speak in impeccable Tamil," Rajendran said. Wilson objected strongly to the remarks and defended his manner of speaking, arguing that his priority was communicating matters of governance rather than conforming to linguistic expectations. ‘It’s My Unique Style’ “Don’t advise me regarding Tamil. It’s my unique style. I can only speak like this.

Accept it or not. I can’t change it for you," Wilson snapped at the DMK MLA. Assembly Speaker JCD Prabhakar then stepped in to defuse the exchange and urged the minister not to take the criticism too seriously. “No. You spoke in a way people are able to understand your speech. Take it lightly," he advised the minister. Wilson subsequently brought his faith into the debate, saying Christianity had shaped his approach towards love and empathy. “Christianity has taught me one language. That is love and empathy. Half of the people can’t understand this by reading Tamil. I have read it in the Bible. I am a born Christian," he said. DMK, BJP Slam Minister’s Budget Speech The minister’s remarks, however, did not end the controversy. Senior DMK leader TKS Elangovan continued to question Wilson’s handling of the Tamil-language Budget speech, saying the minister should have been able to read the document correctly. “He does not want to accept that his Tamil was the worst and that he was reading it wrong. When he read the Budget in Tamil, he made mistakes in many places. A Finance Minister should be able to read it properly." The BJP subsequently joined the attack, accusing Wilson of making remarks that amounted to an insult to Tamil and calling for a public apology. Tamil Nadu BJP chief Nainar Nagenthran said Wilson’s religious identity was a personal matter but argued that it could not be invoked in a manner that appeared to diminish the importance of Tamil.