BENGALURU: Congress and JDS leaders in Karnataka, pro-Kannada activists and writers slammed Union Home Minister Amit Shah after he made an appeal to “unify India with Hindi, the country’s most widely spoken language.”
On the occasion of Hindi Diwas on Saturday, Shah tweeted, “India has many languages and each has it own importance. But there is a need for one common language to mark India’s identity.’’ His pitch for a common language evoked strong reaction from pro-Kannada organisations with activists staging protests at some locations in Bengaluru on Saturday.
In a series of tweets, former chief minister Siddaramaiah said, “Stop this false propaganda that Hindi is the national language. Let it be known that like Kannada, it is one of the 22 official languages. A language cannot be promoted with lies and misinformation. Language grows with mutual love and give-and-take. Languages are windows to knowledge. They should be promoted with love, not by imposing them. Our opposition is not to Hindi language, but its forceful imposition. I am also opposed to celebrating Hindi Diwas.”
Siddaramaiah also said that the Union government was meting out step-motherly treatment to Karnataka and Kannada. “They said no to Kannada flag... They did not release flood relief funds to Karnataka and now this. We will not tolerate this,” he said.
Former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy too attacked the Centre for celebrating Hindi Diwas. “According to the Constitution, Kannada, like Hindi, is also an official language,” he said.
Sandalwood actor Chethan also opposed Shah’s idea. “#StopHindiImposition & ‘anti-national’ rhetoric! U celebrate #hindidivas using tax money from non-Hindi states & try to erase our regional languages? We’ll fight u till our last breath KA MPs, stop being slaves of Hindi masters & start representing us!” he tweeted.
Dalit writer Siddalingaiah said Hindi imposition “will divide the country further.” “India is a diverse land and this is what makes us unique from the rest of the world,” he added.
Former Chairman of Kannada Development Authority, S G Siddaramaiah, said this was another attempt by the Union Government to remove the concept of regional language. He said the Union Government was trying to divert Central jobs to the Hindi-speaking population.
“The MPs from the state should stand up for the state and its language... but they represent their party more. This is unfortunate. Even the CM has become voiceless,”
he added.