Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker J.C.D. Prabhakar on Monday (June 22, 2026) told the House that Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar should be appreciated for his efforts to learn Tamil and pronounce Tamil words during his address to the Assembly.

Reacting to DMDK leader Premallatha Vijayakant’s allegation that the Governor had mispronounced Tamil words on 37 occasions during his speech, the Speaker pointed out the Governor hailed from another State and should be commended for his efforts to learn the language.

“When I invited him to address the Assembly, he told me he was deeply impressed by the history of Tamil Nadu’s freedom fighters. I also taught him a few Tamil phrases such as ‘Vanakkam’, ‘Nalamaaga Irukkireergala?’, and ‘Nalamaaga Irukkiren’,” Mr. Prabhakar said.

Call for bottled water

During the discussion, Ms. Premallatha suggested that bottled drinking water be placed on the desks of members instead of Assembly staff serving water in glasses whenever required.

At this point, former Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam remarked that water bottles could be thrown during heated exchanges in the House.

Ms. Premallatha responded by saying this was not a convincing argument, as glasses and other objects could also be thrown.

DMK member Thangam Thennarasu wondered whether Mr. Panneerselvam’s fear stemmed from personal experience.