Everyone living in Karnataka should also learn to speak Kannada: CM

Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said that everyone living in the state should also learn to speak Kannada.

He made the remark while speaking after unveiling the emblem of ‘Karnataka Sambhrama-50’ to mark the golden jubilee of renaming the Mysore State as Karnataka at the Vidhana Soudha’s banquet hall here.

“We are all Kannadigas, people speaking different languages have settled in Kannada land, since the unification of Karnataka. Everyone living in Karnataka should also learn to speak Kannada. In the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, it is impossible to exist without learning the local language. But you can live in Karnataka even if you don’t speak Kannada. That is the difference between our state and other neighbouring states,” he said.

“Even after 68 years of Karnataka’s unification, it is not appropriate that the Kannada atmosphere could not be created in the state. Instead of Kannadigas teaching our language to others, we are learning their language first,” said the Chief Minister, adding that this attitude of Kannadigas is “not good from the point of view of language development and the development of the state, language and culture”.

“In some parts of the state, the diaspora does not speak Kannada at all. Kannadigas are not without self-respect. But this is happening because of their generosity,” he said.

“The craze for English has also increased amongst us. Many of my ministers and especially officers write notes in English only. English can be used while writing to the Central government and other states, but otherwise, it should be done in Kannada. Although Kannada has been the official language for many years, negligence may have been the main reason behind the non-implementation of Kannada in administration,” Siddaramaiah noted.

Beginning from November 1, 2023, ‘Karnataka Sambrama’ will be celebrated for one year and this will help in creating awareness of Kannada language among the people, he said.

“Renaming Karnataka completes its 50th year on November 1, 2023. Actually, it should have been celebrated last year itself. But the previous government did not celebrate. As it was an important event in the history of Karnataka, we decided to include and celebrate the event,” Siddaramaiah added.

Appreciating the design of the emblem, the Chief Minister congratulated Raviraj G. Hulaguru who designed it.