Karnataka CM Bommai censures Congress' Siddaramaiah for 'indulging in false propaganda'

Basavaraj Bommai, the Chief Minister of Karnataka, lambasted Siddaramaiah on Monday for spreading misleading information about employment opportunities in the state. 

Bommai tweeted, “The @BJP4Karnataka government has provided 55 lakhs job in last 4 yrs as per FICCI & EPFO. National average for unemployment is 4.1% while that in Karnataka is just 2.1%, almost half of the national average. @siddaramaiah pls check your facts before indulging in false propaganda.”

Siddaramiah on Monday, April 10, took to Twitter to hit two birds with one stone. In his tweet he raised two issues: unemployment and language, to heat up the political gullies (streets) ahead of the Karnataka elections which are slated to take place on 10th May. 

He tweeted, “I urge Prime Minister @narendramodi to immediately allow the candidates to write CRPF recruitment exam in Kannada too. It is important to relax the rule of writing the exam only in English & Hindi to help candidates from non-hindi states.”

On one hand, he has tried to exacerbate the anti-hindi rhetoric which is prevalent in the state. On the other he is trying to reintroduce the unemployment issue which has been dormant for a very long time.

The former chief minister referred to it as an injustice to candidates from non-Hindi speaking states like Karnataka and claimed that the BJP's "double engine" government had "failed" the candidates from the state.

Siddaramaiah took to Twitter to further criticise the BJP, as he stated, “Language is not knowledge, it is only a means of communication of knowledge. Our young people who have studied in Kannada language medium are knowledgeable but are failing in the examination conducted by the central government due to language problem. This is unfair.” (sic)

“Our youth are being deprived of jobs due to 40% corruption of state @BJP4Karnataka government & language policy of Union @BJP4India government. This has increased unemployment rate & destroyed the future of our youth. Double engine govt has failed our candidates.” he said.

Siddaramaiah’s anti-hindi rhetoric is not new

In 2019, Siddaramaiah had criticised the New Education Policy of the Central Government terming it as Hindi imposition. Siddaramaiah took to twitter to state, “Ours is a land that exhibits Unity in Diversity. Peaceful coexistence is the need to establish harmony & any force shall work against the laws of society. For us Kannada is an identity, & learning any other language should be by Choice & not by imposition.”

"New National Education Policy draft imposes Hindi in non Hindi states & this goes against our sentiments. If recognition of regional identity is inconsistent according to few then imposition of Hindi is nothing but a brutal assault on our States."

"Instead of imposing Hindi, the government should focus on recognising regional identities & give more space to the states to express & manifest their ideas through their own culture & language. We are all Kannadigas in India."