15 November,2009 12:15 PM IST | | PTI
Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil, who had to resign from the previous state cabinet in the wake of his remarks over 26/11 terror attacks, has worked hard to brush up his skill to communicate in Hindi but would prefer speaking in his mother tongue while interacting with media. The reason is obvious.
The 51-year-old leader had to quit after facing flak for his remark in Hindi "bade shahron mein aise ek-adh hadse ho jate hain" (in big cities one-two such incidences happens).
"In the last 11 months, Patil has brushed up his Hindi. However, he would prefer communicating in Marathi, his mother tongue," an aide of the senior NCP leader said. "Patil's ignorance about the nuances of Hindi led to his remark being misinterpreted by media," he added.
Patil's comeback to the ministry is being considered as a reward for the extensive campaigning he did for the party, helping it win 62 of the 114 seats it contested. He is one of the most popular leaders in the 10-year-old party founded by Sharad Pawar.