A sharp exchange took place during the ongoing August 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly budget session after an MLA criticised Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson over his use of Tamil while presenting her arguments in the House.
Wilson, who represents the R.K. Nagar constituency and serves as Finance Minister in Chief Minister Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government, responded by accusing members of mocking people over their appearance, caste, gender and language.
The MLA said Wilson was highly proficient in English and praised her pronunciation, but objected to his use of Tamil, claiming that she had omitted certain phrases and used some grammatically incorrect expressions.
The MLA said, “I believe he possesses great proficiency in English.
His English pronunciation was impeccable. However, he omitted several phrases in Tamil, and some of the phrases used contained grammatical errors. I do not wish to raise this in this House as a criticism or an accusation; we observe that our Minister for School Education is arguing very effectively for his party and gaining significant political mileage. I humbly request you to take the necessary steps to ensure that our Finance Minister has the opportunity to present the budget without errors in the future.”
“I Play Both Offence And Defence”
Responding to the remarks, Wilson said he was accustomed to communicating in English because of his educational background and argued that criticism of his language was part of a wider tendency in the Assembly to mock people on personal grounds.
Wilson said, “Sir, I am a basketball player; I play both offence and defence. If you were to teach me when to play defense and when to play offense—though I don’t need to be taught that—I would learn it. I am addressing you directly, leaders. I have 25 to 30 years of educational background, and my communication has always been in English. Now, in this House—as he mentioned—there has been a trend, I am saying in general, there is a trend of mocking people based on appearance, caste, women, and now, language.”
He then invoked his Christian faith while defending her manner of speaking.
“My leader speaks only about actions. As for language, my Christianity has taught me the language of love, peace, and compassion—things that half the people here wouldn’t understand, no matter how much Tamil they have studied. I have read this in the Bible, I am a born Christian.”
He continued, “If that is the kind of language you want, look at the person who was the MP from Madurai and a Minister; he served a five-year term but never spoke in the Lok Sabha—not even once. He never spoke a single time, even though he was a Minister.”
He accused the critics of making irrelevant remarks instead of focusing on the government’s work.
“We are making an effort. You are making irrelevant remarks and mocking things… please take note of what I am saying.”
Claims ₹15,000 Crore Has Flowed Into Treasury
Wilson then shifted the focus to the TVK government’s performance during its first few months in office, claiming that several reforms had been implemented following departmental meetings chaired by Chief Minister Vijay.
“Over the past 60 to 75 days, the Honorable Chief Minister has held numerous departmental meetings. We have implemented several reforms—many reforms—based on those discussions. If you look at the situation now compared to about 70 days ago, it is vastly different.”
He further claimed that nearly ₹15,000 crore had flowed into the state treasury in around 65 days.
“Nearly ₹15,000 crore has flowed into the treasury. Generating ₹15,000 crore in just 65 days is no easy feat; it is certainly not a simple task. This was achieved through the concerted effort of the Ministry.”
Wilson concluded by saying that he would not alter her manner of speaking to satisfy his critics.
“I offer this advice—and I say this because I have a unique way of speaking in Tamil; take it or leave it—I cannot change my style just for your sake; this is simply how I speak. That is exactly what I am saying, Hon. Speaker… I shouldn’t act as if I am offering profound guidance, but this is my way style, and I cannot alter it for anyone’s sake. I cannot change it for anyone.”
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