Mysuru: Mysuru’s First Citizen M.J. Ravikumar will file defamation cases against people who are mocking at him on social media over his ‘lack of proficiency’ in English. A video clip that is being circulated in social media shows the Mayor explaining Dasara arrangements to a TV reporter.
Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, Ravikumar said that people in the social media have passed insinuating comments at his language. “In doing this, people have insulted the post of Mysuru Mayor. If the comments were directed against me, I would not have reacted but I am hurt as the insults are directed at the Mayor’s post. I will file defamation cases against people who are doing this,” he said.
He said that he would formally lodge a complaint and identify the persons behind circulating the video.
When told that he could have spoken in Kannada, he said that the TV reporter insisted that he speak in English. “I have done nothing wrong. I am trying to speak in English, a new language. I told the reporter to ask questions in Kannada. But she insisted that I speak in English as it’s an English news channel,” he said.
Making a person speak a language which he does not know and making a mockery of him shows the insensitivity of the press. Here the press have made the Mayor a scapegoat. I think the mayor should have stuck to speaking in Kannada itself for which the press would have given subtitles. Really sad, as people stoop to such low levels to make fun for not knowing English.