Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah reignited the Kannada versus Hindi debate on Saturday, alleging that the BJP-led Centre was offering grants to promote Hindi and Sanskrit while neglecting other Indian languages. Speaking at the 70th Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations in Bengaluru, he claimed that despite Karnataka contributing ₹4.5 lakh crore in revenue, the state receives only a fraction in return.
He accused the Centre of imposing Hindi and “denying justice” to Kannada, stating, “Injustice is being done to the classical language Kannada by denying adequate funds for its growth.” Siddaramaiah urged citizens to oppose all “anti-Kannada” forces and demanded a law to make the mother tongue the medium of instruction. He argued that English and Hindi were “weakening the talent” of Indian children compared to those in developed nations who learn in their native language.
