Peru: Quechua in Congress latest cause for discord

The use of the indigenous language Quechua by the Head of President Pedro Castillo's Cabinet inside Peru's Congress caused sparks to fly Thursday.

The kerfuffle was just another example of the open discord growing between Castillo supporters and his vocal detractors.

After greeting his fellow Peruvians in Quechua, considered a native language used by millions of indigenous people in Peru, Guido Bellido was quickly reprimanded by the Head of Peru's Congress and asked to "speak Spanish."

"I would appreciate as would the other members, because I also do not understand you," said Maria del Carmen Alva pointedly.  "Now that you have said hello in Quechua, you could speak in Spanish please."

Bellido responded that by not speaking in Quechua the Congressional proceeding was "practically leaving them to one side" referring to Peru's largely indigenous population.

Official data from 2017 states that 13% of Peruvians, some 4 million people - most of whom reside in the Andes mountains - speak Quechua.

Outside in the streets of Lima both anti-Castillo and his supporters marched to voice their opinions.

The police were able to keep the two vociferous groups apart as they met at the rear of the congress building but frustrations mounted on both sides.

"We do not want him to vacate we want him to work," said supporter Daniela Ramos.

Castillo, a leftist political novice who has promised to be a champion of his country's poor, took office in July and has faced repeated calls to resign.

The rural teacher who has never held political office before is Peru's first president of peasant origin.

Castillo faces a deeply divided Congress that will make it extremely challenging for him to fulfill his ill-defined campaign promises to aid the poor, who are now estimated to make up about a third of the country's population.