BENGALURU: Taking serious exception to the “disregard” of Kannada language during the launch of the Metro’s Mysuru Road-Kengeri line on August 29, Kannada and Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar has sought an explanation from the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL).
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommaj and Union Urban Development Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. Former CM Siddaramaiah as well as many netizens had slammed the organisers for ignoring Kannada during the event. Following the backlash, Namma Metro posted an apology on its official Twitter handle on Tuesday.
In a letter to BMRCL, the minister pointed out that Kannada language was neglected during the event — it was not used on the stage as well as on the main name boards. “This is a serious lapse. The event happened in the state capital. Not using the state’s official language is unacceptable,” Sunil Kumar wrote.
He said that many government orders have been issued stressing on mandatory use of Kannada at any government event. “This event was a violation of the orders and this is unfortunate. Officials who were in charge of the event are to be blamed. It was their responsibility to make sure that the state’s official language was used,” the minister said.
Sunil Kumar also said that language is an emotional issue and no one will not tolerate it if their language is ignored. Not giving importance to the state language will send a wrong message to people, he said adding, “Action should be taken against the officials concerned.”