Karnataka MLA says Kannadigas proud of mother tongue; 'need second language to be English'

Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar said on Friday that the people of the state are proud of their mother tongue and that they require a second language, i.e. English. The Karnataka Congress Chief also said that without English, the Kannadigas won’t be working across the world, and Bengaluru won’t be India’s IT Capital. 

The Congress leader's comments come a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasised the importance of accepting Hindi as a viable option to English rather than regional languages. The remarks were made at the 37th meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee by the Home Minister, according to ANI. 

In addition, Shivakumar stated that all Kannadigas are proud of their mother tongue and that they require a second language in order to participate in the globalised world, according to ANI

The Congress MLA from Kanakapura took to his Twitter and wrote, "All Kannadigas are proud of our mother tongue but we do need a second language to be part of a globalised world. That second language is English. Without English, so many Kannadigas won't be working across the world, and Bengaluru wouldn't be India's IT capital." 

HD Kumaraswamy blames BJP

In response to Amit Shah’s remark for Hindi to be accepted as an alternative language, JD-S leader HD Kumaraswamy had also alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre is trying to "forcibly run a personal agenda", adding that they will not succeed. "People will teach them a lesson," he said according to ANI.

Kumaraswamy, in October last year, accused the southern state's BJP government of ‘sidelining’ Kannada, the state's official language, and being in favour of the Hindi language. Protests against the alleged imposition of Hindi have been regular in southern states, particularly Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. 

Spat over Amit Shah’s remark to make Hindi the official language

Meanwhile, the latest spat took place when Union Minister Amit Shah said, "Now is the time to make the official language Hindi a vital part of the national unity," while speaking at the 37th meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee in Delhi, according to PTI.

He apprised that unless Hindi is made flexible by accepting words from other local languages, it will not be propagated. The Home Minister also said that when citizens of states, who speak different languages, communicate with each other, it should be in "the language of India," according to PTI.

Image: ANI