Bengaluru: JD (S) leader H. D. Kumaraswamy wrote a letter to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday September 12 urging him not to celebrate Hindi Diwas using taxpayers’ money.
He said that forcing Hindi Diwas, which falls on September 14, would be ‘injustice’ to the Karnataka people.
He mentioned in his letter that, “Celebrating the Union government-sponsored Hindi Diwas programme on September 14, forcefully in Karnataka, will be an injustice to Kannadigas by the State government. I urge that for no reason Karnataka Government should celebrate Hindi Diwas by utilising the State’s taxpayers’ money.”
Kumaraswamy noted that India is a “great union” of thousands of languages and dialects, over 560 princely States, and diverse cultural and social practices, adding that “celebrating one particular language is injustice” in such a land.
He had advocated for the cancellation of the Hindi Diwas celebrations, claiming that it had no meaning for people whose mother tongue is not Hindi.
Pro-Kannada organisations protested Hindi Diwas last year, calling it an ‘imposition of Hindi,’ and there was a major social media uproar.
Giving a strong rebuttal to the letter, state Minister for Education B.C. Nagesh stated that Kannada people will not pay any heed to his call, adding that Hindi Diwas has been celebrated since 1949.
The issue has been raked for political gains now, Nagesh said, adding that Kumaraswamy wants to take advantage and politicise of every thing.
If their ideology was that, his father, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, should have removed the celebrations, he stated.
Nagesh went on to say that Hindi Diwas celebrations were not introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi or the BJP, it has been celebrated since 1949.
“The BJP government is committed to development of all regional languages of India,” he said.
Inputs from IANS
