Former Karnataka MLA and leader of the Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha (KCVP), Vatal Nagaraj, was arrested by the Bengaluru police on Wednesday, September 14. The KCVP had organised a protest at Bengaluru’s Mysore Bank Circle, opposing the celebration of Hindi Diwas by the Karnataka government and Hindi imposition. “Kannada should be the administrative language in Karnataka and Kannadigas must be provided job opportunities in Karnataka,” Nagaraj said while addressing the media.
The former MLA further added that BJP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are ‘agents’ and ‘slaves’ of Hindi. “The Karnataka government is a Hindi slave. If Bommai has any pride, programmes for anyone coming from Delhi should be conducted in Kannada. The BJP and RSS do not have any pride over the Kannada language and are hence imposing Hindi in the state,” he alleged. Nagaraj further added that this protest was a “warning” for the Karnataka government, and claimed that the people of ‘Kannada nadu’ do not want Hindi officers in government posts in the state.
Protests by Kannada outfits were seen across the city on Wednesday, as leaders from the JD(S) party had also staged a protest at the Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday, and were seen singing Kannada songs against the move to celebrate Hindi Diwas. The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike also staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru against Hindi Diwas, with president Narayana Gowda condemning the forceful imposition of Hindi in Karnataka.
The protest comes as a form of resistance against Hindi Diwas celebrated on September 14 every year. The celebration did not sit well with many political leaders including Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Karnataka chief minister HD Kumaraswamy. In a letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, he said that forcibly celebrating Hindi Diwas would amount to "injustice" to the people of Karnataka. "Celebrating the Union government-sponsored Hindi Diwas programme on September 14, forcibly in Karnataka, will be an injustice to Kannadigas by the state government. I urge that for no reason Karnataka government should celebrate Hindi Diwas by utilising the state's taxpayers' money," Kumaraswamy said in his letter.