Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has announced that all cases registered against pro-Kannada activists who held protests against alleged violation of language norms by business establishments in the state, will be withdrawn.
The CM was addressing a gathering at the unveiling of the 25-feet-tall bronze statue of Bhuvaneshwari, the deity who is believed to represents the Karnataka state identity, on the Vidhana Soudha premises on Monday.
Siddaramaiah called upon activists to compile a list of such cases for review. “Submit a list of the cases filed against pro-Kannada activists across Karnataka. We will present it to the cabinet sub-committee headed by the home minister, and subsequently, the cabinet will approve the proposal to withdraw these cases,” he said.
While the Congress leader acknowledged that one must love and embrace all languages, he said the people of Karnataka should follow the culture of speaking and interacting with “their brothers and other speakers” in Kannada.
“Instead of speaking incorrectly in other languages, we should speak our own language. In all our neighbouring states, the language spoken by the people of the respective state is sovereign. This should be practiced here, too,” said Siddaramaiah.
{{/usCountry}}“Instead of speaking incorrectly in other languages, we should speak our own language. In all our neighbouring states, the language spoken by the people of the respective state is sovereign. This should be practiced here, too,” said Siddaramaiah.
{{/usCountry}}Insisting that everyone in the state should develop respect for the Kannada language, culture and art, the CM called for more learning and teaching of reading and writing Kannada.
“Only then will Kannada become the sovereign language,” he said.
In 2023, activists of various pro-Kannada outfits targetted shops and business establishments which did not display Kannada signboards, advertisements and name plates.
Protests were held calling for businesses to comply with the state government’s rule requiring 60% of nameplates to be in Kannada. Cases were registered against many activists.