BENGALURU: Chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday laid the foundation for the installation of a 25-ft statue of Goddess Bhuvaneshwari in the Vidhana Soudha premises. He said the work on the installation will be ready by November 1 this year, and urged those who live in Karnataka to learn the Kannada language and respect it.
Siddaramaiah said that in Karnataka, people revere Goddess Bhuvaneshwari. The statue will be installed at the west gate of the Vidhana Soudha, and will be made of copper. The Department of Kannada and Culture has taken up this initiative.
Speaking to reporters, Siddaramaiah said it is the responsibility of all Kannadigas to safeguard the Kannada language, and the land and water of the state. He said every Kannadiga should begin speaking in Kannada with others. “Kannadigas are large-hearted people. That is why non-Kannadigas and people speaking other languages are not learning Kannada. If you go to Tamil Nadu, Kerala or Andhra Pradesh, people there speak in the local language, unlike people in Karnataka. We need to communicate with others in Kannada. This should actually be a matter of pride, and one need not feel inferior while speaking in our language,” he said.
Further, the CM suggested that everyone living in Karnataka must learn to speak the state language. “We need to learn to appreciate our language, and respect our land and water,” he added.
Siddaramaiah directed officials to complete the work on the statue before November 1. “Work has started and there is no dearth of funds in the state. This statue will be an added attraction to people. We have installed statues of many political leaders in the Vidhana Soudha premises,” he said.
The CM said that on November 1, 2023, the state completed 50 years of renaming Karnataka, when the government decided to celebrate the event for a year. This will culminate on November 1, 2024, when the Goddess Bhuvaneshwari statue will be unveiled.