Ahead of Kannada Rajyotsava, language controversy erupts

Officials seem to have completely ignored standing instructions and warnings over ignoring the Kannada language in government programmes.

Despite standing instructions and warnings over ignoring the Kannada language in government programmes, officials seem to have once again forgotten about it completely. In the latest case, the officials reportedly failed to put up a Kannada board or information at the Tourism and Culture Ministers Conference of the Southern Region, organized by the central culture ministry in Bengaluru.

The two-day conference is being held to promote cultural tourism, rail tourism, heritage tourism among south states and Union Territories. The event saw leaders and officials from different states giving presentations to boost their respective region's tourism potential. As dignitaries and officials took to the stage to address the gathering, the mandatory information on the background in Kannada was missing. 

The program details on the backdrop had information in Hindi and English. Taking serious objections to media reports, pro-Kannada organization Karnataka Rakshana Vedike's head Praveen Kumar Shetty condemned the tourism department for its neglect of the Kannada language.

Earlier in September, the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited also landed in controversy after they failed to honour the state government's rule. During the visit of central minister Hardeep Singh Puri, the banner and information only had Hindi and English words.

After the matter was reported in the media and criticism from various quarters, Kannada and Culture Minister V Sunil Kumar sent a notice to BMRCL MD Anjum Parvez seeking an explanation for ignoring the Kannada language in the stage programme. Stating that as per state rules, the usage of Kannada is essential in all government events and that all the officers have to comply with it, the minister had also released a video issuing a warning to officials in various government departments not to repeat the same during events and programmes. 

Last week, reports had emerged that the Kannada Development Authority had proposed a new comprehensive Kannada Language Act to implement Kannada effectively in administration across the state. In the run-up to the Kannada Rajyotsava, the state government has also planned a week-long campaign to promote Kannada language and culture in the Information Technology sector in Bengaluru.