Chennai, Sep 14 - Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu assembly J. Jayalalithaa Monday supported the view of central Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister M.K. Alagiri of the state's ruling DMK who has requested that he should be allowed to speak in Tamil in parliament.

The AIADMK general secretary said in a statement that the minister should be allowed to give his answers in Tamil during question hour in parliament and the replies can be translated into English or Hindi.

While the parliament secretariat has turned down Alagiri's request, Jayalalithaa took a dig at Alagiri's father, DMK head and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, asking why he was silent on the issue.

Citing the DMK's oft-repeated statement, 'Let Tamil live even if we were to fall', she said the DMK should quit the central cabinet at a time when the language was 'falling' in parliament.