Amid protests in some quarters against observing Hindi Diwas, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said on Wednesday, September 14, that his government is bringing in a legislation to make Kannada "mandatory" in the state. Kannada activists have been demanding for many years now for full implementation of Kannada as the administrative language.
Though the Chief Minister did not specify if the law in the context of administrative language or beyond its scope, sources told PTI that he seemed to be referring to the proposed Kannada Language Comprehensive Development Bill, aimed at making Kannada the official language for administrative purposes. On Wednesday, CM Bommai told the Legislative Assembly that the legislation would be tabled during the ongoing session to make Kannada mandatory. He said that a legal statute making Kannada mandatory is being given in the state for the first time, which is aimed at protecting and propagating the language and its speakers.
The CM was responding to the issue raised by JD(S) legislators and its leader HD Kumaraswamy in the Assembly, opposing the celebration of Hindi Diwas, calling it “forceful imposition” of Hindi on Kannadigas. In response, the CM said, "India is a union of states with different languages, cultures. There is no scope here to impose any specific language. Our Prime Minister has said very clearly that all mother tongues and regional languages are national languages."
"Till now there had been only slogans saying Kannada is compulsory. There were several committees and authorities for it, but there was no legal framework. For the first time, we are bringing in a law which will protect Kannada language, Kannada people," he said.
Soon after the question hour, JD(S) legislators wearing red-and-yellow shawls, led by K Annadani, raised the issue of Hindi Diwas celebration and alleged that the Union government was trying to impose Hindi on the state forcefully. "We oppose it. We oppose the imposition of Hindi on Kannadigas, injustice is being done to Kannadigas," Annadani and others shouted.
Speaker Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri said he has not received any notice on the issue being raised and "no one knows as to what was the issue" and asked JD(S) legislature party leader Kumaraswamy to assist him and calm down his party MLAs, and inform the House as to what was the matter. Intervening, Kumaraswamy said his party legislators had staged a protest outside House against the Union government’s celebration of Hindi Diwas and wanted to raise the issue within the House too, with an intention that such celebration or extolling of one language in a multilingual country like India should in no way affect Kannada.
Observing that India is a country with numerous languages and each state has several languages within, he said, in the recent days an atmosphere is being created to have "one nation-one language with Hindi." He further stated that regional languages have an emotional and historical connection with the people of the region. "No attempt should be made to scuttle these languages. This is the appeal of our legislators in this House through the chair."
Earlier on Monday, September 12, Kumaraswamy wrote to CM Bommai urging his government not to celebrate Hindi Diwas by utilising the taxpayers' money, and said that forcefully celebrating it, would amount to "injustice" to the people of Karnataka.