Row over absence of Kannada banners at Karnataka govt conference

The absence of Kannada was conspicuous during the inauguration of the two-day conference of Tourism and Culture Ministers of the Southern Region in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The Karnataka government was left red-faced on Thursday after the tourism department failed to put up banners in Kannada during the conference of Tourism and Culture Ministers of the Southern Region here, forcing the state minister to make alternate arrangements.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, during the Kannada and Culture event, said that there was emphasis being given for the usage of Kannada not just in school but in graduate courses as well. (PTI)

Soon after the error was flashed across local TV news channels, Anand Singh, Karnataka’s minister for tourism, environment and ecology Singh took officials to task after which the digital display behind the dias appeared in Kannada.

The absence of Kannada was conspicuous during the inauguration of the two-day conference on tourism and culture on Thursday.

Interestingly, the incident on Thursday coincided with an event by the Kannada and Culture department in which it mobilized large number of people across the state to sing pro-Kannada songs and speak only in the native tongue as part of the Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations on November 1.

The drive was also to encourage more people to speak in Kannada across a state where there has been stiff resistance to the imposition of Hindi.

Karnataka chief minister Basavaraj Bommai, during the Kannada and Culture event, said that there was emphasis being given for the usage of native tongue not just in school but in graduate courses as well.

“We had brought an ordinance making Kannada compulsory not only in primary or secondary education but also in degree level. The matter is presently before the high court. We will continue our struggle for it.” Bommai told the gathering that the government is making complete engineering course available in Kannada language..

There were programmes held across the state with people from all sections of society taking the pledge and singing pro-Kannada songs.

Recently, the absence of Kannada during the Namma Metro inauguration and the event at NIMHANS had seen the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ducking for cover as criticism grew from opposition and pro-Kannada groups over what they call “Hindi imposition” by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led union government.