Bengaluru: Chief minister Siddaramaiah has sent out a strong message in support of Kannada language in particular and culture in general through a video.
The 14-minute video titled “Kannada Namma Hemme” by Information Department features CM Siddaramaiah addressing non-Kannadigas across the state to adopt Kannada culture. He says, “We have to not only love and respect others but also send out a very strong message that we [Kannadigas] will not tolerate any attack on our language, land and water, if others try to do so. The neighbours are our brothers and sisters. But we cannot tolerate any efforts to attack our language, land and water as it is our duty to protect them [language, land and water]. “
In the video he also speaks about his love for Dr. Rajkumar who hails from his district. The CM said, “Whenever I met Rajkumar, he would invite me by fondly saying that I am from his forest.”
He also condemns those who demand a separate North Karnataka state in the video.
It may be recalled that the chief minister wrote a letter to the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Narendra Singh Tomar informing him about the state decision to use only Kannada and English boards at metro stations temporarily in the back drop of the protests staged by pro-Kannada activists.
He further mentioned that the metro commuters are comfortable reading and understanding Kannada and (or) English and thus Hindi boards were not necessary. “Although the state government has strictly dealt with those who defaced the signages and maintained law and order around metro stations, you would agree that in the face of a continued agitation, it is counter-productive to insist on use of three languages, including Hindi,” he wrote adding that cultural aspirations and sentiments of the people of Karnataka need to be respected.
The Namma Metro Hindi Beda campaign that started on Twitter had gained momentum in the state with activists opposing the trilingual language policy and asking to do away with imposition of Hindi. The activists had staged protests as well as blackened the boards at Metro stations across the city.
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