Amit Shah’s Hindi push has Karnataka BJP scrambling for cover ahead of bypolls
BENGALURU: The entire BJP leadership in the state seems to be on the backfoot currently due to the statement made by BJP president Amit Shah on pushing Hindi as the national language.
Shah’s statements, at a time when polls are expected to be held in 17 assembly constituencies, have made matters worse for the saffron party which had already come under fire from Kannada organisations for abandoning the proposal for a state flag.
The BJP now finds itself in the unenviable position of providing a weak response to the comments or trying to rope in the ideology of the RSS to bolster their argument.
“From the days of Jan Sangh, our leaders including our ideologue Deen Dayal Upadhyay, have stressed that regional languages should be supreme in every state. The RSS firmly believes that mother tongue should be given priority,” said an RSS-ideologue minister in the Karnataka cabinet.
Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol chose his words carefully as well.
“Kannada is 2,500 years old. The Mughals, Portuguese and the British ruled this country but they couldn’t destroy Kannada. Kannada is eternal and will survive as long as there are people in the world.”
Karjol’s statement reflects the mood in the Karnataka BJP- torn between wanting to play to the gallery of regional pride and unwilling to be seen as disagreeing with their national President.
Meanwhile, Congress is having a field day with the discomfort of its rival. “BJP leaders are cowards. Not one of them has the spine to question their high command. Yediyurappa is the weakest Chief Minister I have ever seen. Despite being from Mandya, he lacks this soil’s valour and self-respect,” said Siddaramaiah, the Congress Legislature Party chief
But there are some who have spoken out, albeit with caution.
“Kannada should get priority. Nothing should be taught at the cost of Kannada. People will not learn a language if it is imposed. If it is taught with affection, then they will. A single line from an entire speech is being debated about but Amit Shah has also said that we need to strengthen all other languages,” said Suresh Kumar, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education.
“It is not good to impose a language on anybody. Everybody has the freedom to speak and use their mother tongue. Shah has not objected to promoting vernacular languages but has only expressed his opinion about the need of one-nation-one language,” said newly-elected MP from Kalburgi, Umesh Jadhav.