Centre neglects Kannada, imposes Hindi: CM Siddaramaiah
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday accused the Centre of neglecting Kannada and imposing Hindi.
He also called upon people of the state to oppose those who are 'anti-Kannada'.
"The federal government is meting out step-motherly treatment to Karnataka," Siddaramaiah said during his address on the occasion of the state foundation day (Rajyotsava Day) here in the state capital.
He charged that the state provides Rs 4.5 lakh crore revenue to the Centre, but it is denied its rightful share and is given a paltry amount in return.
Stating that injustice is being done to Kannada language, the chief minister said, "There are continuous attempts to impose Hindi. Grants are given for the development of Hindi and Sanskrit while other languages of the country are being neglected."
He also said that Karnataka is denied funds for the development of the state.
"Injustice is being done to the classical language Kannada by denying adequate funds for its growth. We have to oppose all those who are anti-Kannada," Siddaramaiah said.
Underlining the need to take Kannada language and its culture to new heights, the chief minister said the neglect inflicted upon the Kannada language in education has caused many problems.
"Children of the developed nations think, learn and dream in their mother tongue but here the situation is against it. English and Hindi are weakening the talent of our children," Siddaramaiah said.
"Hence, there is a need to bring laws to introduce the mother tongue as the medium of instruction. I emphasise that the Centre should pay heed in this direction," he added.
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BJP to fight Assam polls on twin planks of development, secure state
Guwahati (PTI): In a bid to win the Assam Assembly elections for the third time in a row, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday advised the state BJP brass to fight on twin planks: development and a secure state.
Shah, who wound up a two-day visit to Assam, held a nearly two-hour-long meeting with senior leaders of the BJP state unit at the party headquarters here, with a focus on discussing strategy for the state elections, expected in March-April.
Briefing reporters after the closed-door meeting, BJP Assam president Dilip Saikia said, "Development and a secure Assam will be our twin electoral planks."
He also said that Shah, known for his expertise in electoral politics, has offered valuable suggestions, and based on it, an action plan to retain power in the state will be formulated soon.
“Discussions were held in detail on our organisational and political calendars. Shah ji offered some very valuable suggestions, and we will implement those at the earliest…We will share more details on the action plan soon,” Saikia said.
He further said that the Union minister exhorted the state party leadership to ensure that not only do they secure a ‘massive landslide victory’ but also bag more seats than in the previous election.
The BJP currently leads a coalition government in Assam with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), while the Bodoland People's Front (BPF) has also extended support.
In the 126-member Assembly, the BJP now has 64 legislators, while its allies AGP, UPPL and BPF have nine, seven and three memnbers, respectively. In the opposition camp, the Congress’ strength is 26, while AIUDF has 15 members and CPI(M) one. There is an Independent legislator also, belonging to Raijor Dal.
Saikia said that the party will continue to contest the state polls in coalition with its NDA allies, which was also favoured by Shah.
Dismissing reports of chinks in the ruling coalition, the Lok Sabha MP said, “As far as the NDA is concerned, we are united in Assam. There could be discussions about some issues on individual party forums.”
The saffron party has maintained that its alliance with the regional parties will continue, and formalities like seat-sharing arrangements are being worked out.
Shah, who was on his second visit to the state within a month, attended two other events in Dibrugarh and Dheamji earlier in the day. He left for West Bengal after the meeting at the Guwahati state party headquarters.
