Amid protests by Kannada outfits against the celebration of Hindi Diwas, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday, September 14, said that his government is dedicated to not just preserving, but promoting Kannada in the state. Speaking in the Assembly, Bommai said, “India is a diverse country, with different languages and cultures. There is no scope for any one language to take over. Our Prime Minister also says clearly that all state languages are national languages.”
He also responded to those protesting against the government for celebrating Hindi Diwas, claiming that the BJP government in Karnataka is “dedicated to not just protecting Kannada, but growing and promoting it. “There is no need for anyone to get in a frenzy over it. There is no question about it. Water, people and language (jana, jala, bhaashe) — in these matters we resolve to always rise above politics,” he said. He also said that his government was the first to bring in legislation to make Kannada compulsory in educational institutions, with the National Education Policy (NEP), with plans to introduce a resolution on the same during this Assembly session. “Till now, everyone was just speaking about it but it had no legal form. For the first time, we are making a law which will ensure the safeguarding of Kannada, and we will urge others to learn the language too. In the NEP, for the first time in professional and engineering courses, exams will be done in Kannada,” he said.
On September 14 — which is celebrated as Hindi Diwas — several Kannada outfits took out protests in various parts of Bengaluru against its celebration, and against Hindi imposition. Kannada Chalavali Vatal Paksha chief Vatal Nagaraj, who was protesting at the Mysore Bank Circle, was arrested by the police. He accused the BJP and RSS of being “slaves” to Hindi, alleging that, “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.”
JD(S) party leaders were seen singing Kannada songs near the Vidhana Soudha — where the Assembly is being held — in protest, and the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike also staged a protest at Freedom Park in Bengaluru against Hindi Diwas, with president Narayana Gowda condemning the forcible imposition of Hindi in Karnataka.