Prajwal Revanna bats for two-language policy

“To expect 130 crore Indians to compulsorily learn Hindi is foolishness and nothing else.
Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna (File | EPS)
Hassan MP Prajwal Revanna (File | EPS)

BENGALURU: While his grandfather and former Prime Minister HD Devegowda is protesting for farmer and land rights, debutante MP from Hassan Prajwal Revanna has jumped into the raging language debate.
Over the last two days, Prajwal Revanna has been lambasting the New Education Policy’s push for three languages. Prajwal’s assurance that he would take up the matter in Parliament has garnered much appreciation from pro-Kannada language activists.

Prajwal’s stand against the Union government’s proposed three-language policy in schools comes at a time when language activists have been accusing the Centre of attempting to make Hindi a mandatory subject for non-Hindi speaking states. “To expect 130 crore Indians to compulsorily learn Hindi is foolishness and nothing else.

There is no sense is making it compulsory to learn Hindi when English is already serving as a link language. Instead of Hindi, let us learn languages from our own State like Tulu, and Kodava on priority as third languages,” Prajwal Revanna said in a series of tweets.

Acknowledging the campaigns, especially those being undertaken online by Kannada activists, Prajwal said he would take up the matter in the Parliament. “Until the time the campaign for the two-language policy being led by our youngsters doesn’t reach its decisive end, I will strongly stand in solidarity. I will work towards fighting for it inside the Lok Sabha as well as outside the parliament and strike to end the three-language policy,” Prajwal said, much to the glee of Kannada activists.

While JDS supremo HD Devegowda is on the ground, agitating against the State government’s ordinances amending the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act, Land Reforms Act and Industries Act to revive the party’s core vote bank of farmers, Prajwal’s support to the two-language policy is another part of the party’s two-pronged strategy to secure its pro-Kannada, pro-farmer, regional party pride identities.

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