Following Tamil Nadu’s strong opposition to the “Hindi imposition” and the three-language policy proposed under the National Education Policy (NEP), Karnataka is now witnessing growing dissent against the same. The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to adopt a two-language policy for the state, echoing concerns raised about linguistic fairness.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, KDA chief Purushottham Bilimale argued that Karnataka, given its linguistic diversity, should move towards a bilingual system. “Considering the variety of discussions regarding the language issue, it seems Karnataka needs a bilingual formula,” Bilimale stated. He also forwarded a letter from Ramesh Bellamkonda, a member of the advocacy group Namma Naadu Namma Aalvike, who raised concerns over the perceived inequity in the country’s language policies. Bellamkonda emphasized that Hindi imposition on non-Hindi-speaking regions was creating a sense of unfairness, advocating for Kannada and English to be made the two primary languages in the state.
According to the Kannada Language Learning Rules of 2017, students in Karnataka are required to learn Kannada as their second language, regardless of the educational board their school follows. Bellamkonda reiterated that Kannada should take precedence as the primary language, with English serving as the secondary language for education, governance, and general communication.
In addition to these concerns, Bellamkonda also stressed the importance of protecting sub-regional languages like Tulu. He suggested that consultations with the people of those regions should help in providing adequate facilities for the promotion and learning of these languages. Bellamkonda proposed that while individuals should be allowed to learn other languages based on their personal preferences, the burden of learning additional languages should be kept minimal.
As the debate intensifies, Karnataka’s position on this linguistic issue is set to play a crucial role in shaping the national discourse on language policies.