English, not our cup of tea

English is not India’s mother tongue, but surely at least ministers need to have some familiarity with it? One Union minister — who has become a minister recently — persists in saying, “I doesn’t know”. A colleague groaning about this said, “Arre yaar, he says ‘I doesn’t know’ even in Cabinet meetings”. Another minister (though not a Cabinet minister) from his party insists on wearing the smartest suits with jacket and tie — but with rubber chappals, because that is the example set by his leader.