New Delhi, Nov 28 (IANS): Proponents of use of regional language got a major shot in their arm on Thursday with Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu endorsing the idea in a big way.

Appreciating members of the Upper House raising their issues in their mother tongue, Naidu said that it should have been made compulsory in the beginning itself.

He said that there is no point criticising someone (for this), stating a good beginning has now been made.

The Rajya Sabha Chairman favoured the idea of using local languages in government offices and courts.

"My point is that people should understand the language which we are speaking. I am very much concerned about this. Courts, government, offices and also Parliament, they should transact their business to the extent possible in people's language and then add English. No problem at all," Naidu said.

Incidentally, BJP MP GVL Narasimha and also a party spokesperson raised the issue of Andhra Pradesh government making English as a medium of instruction in schools. Objecting to the directive, the BJP leader urged the government to take necessary action in this regard.

Narasimha noted in Rajya Sabha that Telugu is one of the classical languages and widely spoken in South India.

"There are many people who have expressed concerns about this issue, including Chairman on this Rajya Sabha. Rather than addressing the concerns, they have been criticised of elitist bias. So, therefore, I would like to bring this to the attention of the House and central government," the BJP member said.

Meanwhile, as the House opened for the day, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was congratulated for successful launch of PSLV-C47 carrying indigenous Cartosat-3 satellite and over a dozen nano satellites of USA.