On Wednesday, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah boldly said everyone living in Karnataka must learn to speak Kannada. The Chief Minister made the statement on the occasion of the 62nd Kannada Rajyotsava in Bengaluru.
Siddaramaiah was quoted as saying, “Everyone who lives here is a Kannadiga…Whoever lives in Karnataka should learn Kannada and make their children learn it too. But if you don’t learn Kannada, it means you’re showing disrespect to the language.”
He further suggested that all schools in the state should make Kannada compulsory. The issue over making Kannada a compulsory language has been going on for months.
In July, a number of protests were taken out by pro Kannada outfits fighting against the Namma Metro signboards written in Hindi. Then in August, the Kannada Development Authority informed all scheduled, nationalized and rural banks to ensure all the non Kannada speaking staff learn the local language within six months.
Today, PM Modi wished the people of Karnataka for Kannada Rajyotsava on Twitter. He said, “My good wishes are with the people of Karnataka on the Kannada Rajyotsava. We are proud of the rich culture of Karnataka. I pray for its progress.”
