Bengaluru: The only BJP-ruled state in south India, now blowing hot and cold after Home minister Amit Shah’s ‘one nation, one language’ speech last week, has also joined the chorus against Hindi imposition with Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Monday tweeting about the importance of Kannada in Karnataka in what is being seen as a rebuff of Mr Shah’s controversial proposal.
Other south Indian states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala have already vehemently opposed the proposal with DMK leaders warning of huge protests and drawing a parallel to the famous anti-Hindi agitation in the 1960s, against the imposition of the language.
Yediyurappa said, “All official languages in our country are equal. However, as far as Karnataka is concerned, Kannada is the principal language. We will never compromise on its importance and are committed to promote Kannada and our state’s culture.”
Though he did not make a specific reference to the ‘one nation, one language’ move or Amit Shah, this tweet is being interpreted as his contradiction of the Home minister’s stand.
Shah had openly pushed for the ‘one nation, one language’ agenda during the celebration of Hindi Diwas last week. He had said, “There are several languages in India and they have their own value, but it is important for the nation to have one language that it is identified by in the world. If there is one language that can unite the country, it’s Hindi.”
“All official languages in our country are equal. However, as far as Karnataka is concerned, #Kannada is the principal language. We will never compromise on its importance and are committed to promote Kannada and our state’s culture.”
Yediyurappa tweeted in what is being viewed as a subtle rebuff of the Home minister’s stance.
Earlier, the opposition Congress and JDS had hit out at the BJP and Shah, charging them with attempting to impose Hindi.
Congress legislature party (CLP) leader and former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had even gone on to call Shah a ‘home wrecker’ for his comments.
Another former CM, H.D. Kumaraswamy, of the JDS, had dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to celebrate ‘Kannada Divas’.
