Tensions have been escalating in Karnataka particularly Bengaluru after several outfits carried out violent protests over the language row. Members of pro-Kannada activist group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike stormed the streets in Bengaluru on 27th December (Wednesday).
As per reports, the protestors pelted stones and vandalised and defaced the properties of several business establishments after accusing them of not using or boldly highlighting the mandated percentage of Kannada language in their signboards.
Conspicuously, the goons displaying violent linguistic chauvinism gained strength from the fact that the administration and ruling party leaders had made statements fanning the language divide. Two days ago, the BBMP order made it mandatory to display signage covering 60% of space with content in the Kannada language while the rest 40% could be in English. And Karnataka Rakshana Vedike is demanding immediate implementation of this rule. They even attacked establishments having separate English and Kannada signboards, demanding that all signboards must have Kannada occupying at least 60% space.
The today’s vandalism comes after repeated comments of ruling Congress leaders, both before and after the elections, calling for wider use of Kannada in the state.
Earlier on 17th October, Karnataka CM and Congress stalwart Siddaramaiah asserted that everyone living in Karnataka should learn to speak Kannada. He said, “We are all Kannadigas, people speaking different languages have settled in Kannada land since the unification of Karnataka. Everyone living in Karnataka should learn to speak Kannada.”
He argued that in some parts, other language speakers didn’t learn or speak anything in Kannada for which he blamed the negligence and generosity of Kannadigas that allowed it.
He demanded that Kannadigas should ask non-Kannada speakers to learn their language instead of themselves learning other languages.
He added, “Instead of Kannadigas teaching our language to others, we are learning their language first. In some parts of the state, the diaspora does not speak Kannada at all. This is happening because of the generosity of the Kannadigas.”
The Chief Minister noted that although Kannada had been the official language for many years, negligence might have been the main reason behind the non-implementation of Kannada in the administration. He stressed that while one should respect other languages, one should not forget their own language.
In May this year, just before the Assemby elections, Congress and other opposition leaders spread mass hysteria that ‘outside’ companies (non-Karnataka-based) will trample the local businesses, which could lead to ‘cultural, political, lingual, and economic subjugation’.
The Congress party and its ecosystem which was also assisted by JDS back then, used the Amul-Nandini controversy to whip up regionalism and linguistic chauvinism by framing non-Kanadigas as outsiders, potential usurpers and cultural imperalists. Former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah even appealed to the Kannadigas to boycott the Amul brand as it was not based in the state.
While speaking about the matter, he had said, “In addition to language treason by the imposition of Hindi and land treason by trespassing within the state borders, now the BJP government is going to betray the farmers by shutting down Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF), which is the livelihood of millions of dairy farming families in the country.”
Congress leader DK Shivakumar suggested a larger conspiracy in the entry of Amul into the Karnataka market. The controversy fueled sub-regionalism and stroked langague and culture war. An escalated langauge war also erupted after the prominent opposition leaders from Congress went after labels on FMCG products particularly Dahi.
Additionally, on the counting day for assembly elections, Congress CM candidate Siddaramaiah had reprimanded journalists for using Hindi. Responding to media queries, he dragged the language divide, refused to answer questions in Hindi, and asked reporters to either use English or Kannada.
In April 2022, in a controversial response to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s opinion that Hindi could be looked at as an alternative to English, the Congress leader had asserted that Hindi is not India’s national language and he will never let it happen. He alleged that it was an agenda of unleashing “cultural terrorism” against non-Hindi-speaking states.
He had demanded, “It is time for the BJP to understand that more linguistic and cultural autonomy should be given to states.”
The language war stroked in the guise of so-called Hindi imposition and protection of interests of Karnataka had led to mainstreaminging rabid lingiustic chauvinist groups like Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) which has been working in tandem with Congress party on host of issues for years. Reportedly, it is the KRV that led today’s violent protests across the city coercing shopkeepers and vendors to make an immediate transition and using Kannada on their signboards.
During the Amul-Nandini fiasco, joining and supporting the then opposition party Congress’ narrative and call, Members of the ‘Kannada Rakshana Vedike’ had also hit the streets and staged protests against Amul while furthering its agenda of linguistic chauvinism and Hindi-imposition rhetoric.
During the Cauvery water dispute this year, organisations like KRV meet Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah to extend their support. They also called a bandh over the issue.
Incidentally, just like the anti-farm law protest in New Delhi after the Centre passed three agriculture laws, the Karnataka Congress worked in tandem with outfits like KRV and staged violent protest against two amendments to the Karnataka Land Reforms (KLR) Act and the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act passed by the BS Yediyurappa government in 2020.
Meanwhile, for several years, T-shirts with slogans like, “Hindi Gotthilla Hogo. Naavu Kannadigaru, Naavu Dravidaru” (We don’t know Hindi, go away. We are Kannadigas, we are Dravidians), have been allowed to go mainstream on social media platforms regularly. Similar campaigns have also been running in Tamil Nadu.
A similar hashtag #ServeInMyLanguage had demanded that government services should be made available in Kannada for Kannada-speaking people.
These hashtags started by the Kannada Grahakara Koota fan language divide and have been followed by groups like Karnataka Rakshana Vedike that hit the streets on to protest to fight against the so-called imposition of Hindi. Incidentally, these outfits have been on the same page with the Congress party in the state and vice-versa, emboldening them.
