From a Correspondent / Bengaluru
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today slammed the union government for what he termed as “neglect of Kannada” and the “imposition of Hindi.” Addressing the state’s Foundation Day (Rajyotsava Day) celebrations here, he accused the centre of treating Karnataka “step-motherly”.
Siddaramaiah alleged that Karnataka contributes nearly ₹4.5 lakh crore in revenue to the Centre but receives only a small fraction in return. He lamented that while funds are generously allocated for the promotion of Hindi and Sanskrit, Kannada and other regional languages are being sidelined. “Injustice is being done to the classical language Kannada by denying adequate funds for its development,” he said, urging people to unite against “anti-Kannada” forces.
Emphasising the importance of preserving linguistic and cultural identity, Siddaramaiah said the marginalisation of Kannada in education has weakened the learning capacity of children. “Students in developed nations study in their mother tongue. But here, English and Hindi dominate, eroding our children’s creativity,” he observed. The Chief Minister called for legal measures to make the mother tongue the medium of instruction and urged the Centre to recognise and support this linguistic right.