BENGALURU — Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday accused the Modi government at the center of neglecting Kannada and imposing Hindi in the state. He also charged the Centre of showing “step-motherly treatment” to the state and systematically neglecting the Kannada language.
Speaking at the statehood day celebrations in Bengaluru, Chief Minister called upon people of the state to rise in defence of their language, culture, and rightful share of national resources.
The Chief Minister said, “There are continuous attempts to impose Hindi. Grants are given for the development of Hindi and Sanskrit, while the rest of the country’s languages are being neglected.”
“Injustice is being done to our classical language by denying it the resources it deserves. We must stand united against all who are anti-Kannada,” he said.
CM Siddaramaiah said, ‘English and Hindi are weakening the talent of our children. There should be a law to make the mother tongue the medium of instruction. The center should make education compulsory only in the mother tongue.’
“Children of the developed nations think, learn and dream in their mother tongue but here the situation is against it. English and Hindi are weakening the talent of our children,” Siddaramaiah said.
Lamenting what he called a deep economic disparity, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka contributes nearly Rs 4.5 lakh crore in revenue to the Union government but receives only a “paltry return.” This, he said, symbolised the larger pattern of disregard for southern states within the federal framework.
As Karnataka celebrated its founding, Siddaramaiah’s words carried the weight of both nostalgia and urgency — a reminder that the state’s fight for linguistic pride and fiscal justice remains unfinished.
The state of Karnataka was established under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956. On November 1, 1956, several Kannada-speaking regions were merged to form the Mysore State, which was renamed Karnataka in 1973.
In Karnataka, the Kannada Language Learning Act-2015, Kannada Language Learning Rule-2017, and Karnataka Educational Institute Rule-2022 laws are in effect. According to the rules of the Siddaramaiah government, the Kannada language will be given priority in all government offices, schools, colleges, and businesses. — With inputs from agencies
