DMK MP Kanimozhi alleged a Chennai airport guard questioned her "Indianness" because she couldn't speak Hindi. BJP dismissed the complaint as a political stunt. What's going on?
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00:00So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're Indian
00:09like how can you not speak Hindi?
00:12Just because you don't belong to one religion or don't speak a particular language or don't
00:20have one kind of identity doesn't make you less of an Indian.
00:30So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're
00:38Indian like how can you not speak Hindi?
00:42Just because you don't belong to one religion or don't have one kind of identity doesn't
00:48make you less of an Indian.
01:00So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're
01:10Indian like how can you not speak Hindi?
01:14Just because you don't belong to one religion or don't have one kind of identity doesn't
01:20make you less of an Indian.
01:22So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're
01:28Indian like how can you not speak Hindi?
01:34I was shocked.
01:35This happened in Chennai airport and we were going through the security and she was giving
01:41me instructions I could not understand.
01:43So I asked her to speak to me in English or in Tamil and her response was if you're Indian
01:51like how can you not speak Hindi?
01:54I said you cannot decide who I am and I'm going to complain and it didn't bother her
01:59even after she knew that I was an MP.
02:03That is immaterial but then you should not ask anybody.
02:09Just because you don't belong to one religion or don't speak a particular language or don't
02:17have one kind of identity doesn't make you less of an Indian and I think the greatness
02:23of this country is the acceptance of its diversity and inclusiveness.
02:28Somewhere we are losing that and that is actually what is going to divide this country.
02:35It is not the identities which people like to keep.
02:40It is trying to make this entire country into one thing, one homogeneous thing where nobody
02:47has an identity and it doesn't have its different shades and colours.
02:51That's very sad.
02:52But then of course when I landed here the officers met me and they apologised about
02:59what happened and they've already promised to start an enquiry and take action.