Karnataka parties call Hindi Diwas ''imposition'' of language
Bengaluru, Sep 14: 'Hindi Diwas' took a political twist in Karnataka with the Congress and JD(S) leaders terming it as an 'imposition' of the language.
However, the ruling BJP batted for learning it just like Kannada and appealed to the people of the state not to treat it as imposition of a language.
The reaction of the parties comes in the wake of Union Home minister Amit Shah pitching for a common language for the country and saying it was Hindi which was spoken the most and can unite the whole country.
Tweeting in Kannada, former chief minister Siddaramaiah said, "The lie that Hindi is a national language should stop.
Let it be known to all that it is just like Kannada, one among the 22 official languages of India.
You cannot promote a language by spreading lies and fake information. Languages flourish by affection and respect for each other."
However, the Congress leader reminded that he was not opposed to Hindi but the attempt to impose a language.
"Languages are the window of knowledge. It should be nurtured by love and not by force. I too oppose the Hindi Diwas celebrations," he tweeted.
JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy sought to know from Prime Minister Narendra Modi when 'Kannada Diwas' would be organised across the country.
"The Central government is celebrating 'Hindi Diwas.' When will you celebrate Kannada Diwas Mr Narendra Modi, which is also an official language like Hindi? Remember that the people of Karnataka are part of the federal system," Kumaraswamy tweeted.
He ran a hashtag 'Stop Hindi Imposition.'
On the other hand, Primary and Secondary Education Minister S Suresh Kumar pitched for learning Hindi.
"We learnt Hindi watching former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's lecture in chaste Hindi.
He was the first leader from India who gave his lecture in Hindi," said the minister speaking at the Hindi Diwas and organised by the district administration at Chamarajanagar.
The minister said Hindi should be given equal place just as Kannada.
He also assured the Hindi teachers of addressing their grievances.
Siddaramaiah had on Friday cried foul over not holding the bank clerk recruitment exam, conducted by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection, in Kannada.
Meanwhile, a pro-Kannada outfit has warned of agitations from October 1, if the Centre 'imposes' Hindi in the state.
ಹಿಂದಿ ರಾಷ್ಟ್ರಭಾಷೆ ಎಂಬ ಸುಳ್ಳು ಪ್ರಚಾರ ನಿಲ್ಲಲಿ,
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) September 14, 2019
ಅದು ಕನ್ನಡದಂತೆಯೇ ೨೨ ಅಧಿಕೃತ ಭಾಷೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು ಎನ್ನುವುದು ತಿಳಿದಿರಲಿ. ಸುಳ್ಳು-ತಪ್ಪುಮಾಹಿತಿ ಮೂಲಕ ಭಾಷೆಯನ್ನು ಬೆಳೆಸಲಾಗದು.
ಭಾಷೆ ಪರಸ್ಪರ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಮತ್ತು ಕೊಡು-ಕೊಳ್ಳುವಿಕೆಯಿಂದ ಬೆಳೆಯುತ್ತದೆ.#HindiDiwas #HindiImposition
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Indian visa application centre suspended indefinitely in Bangladesh's Chattogram
Dhaka (PTI): India on Sunday suspended visa operations at its mission in Bangladeshi port city of Chattogram until further notice, according to media reports.
The move comes in the wake of a fresh wave of unrest witnessed in the country following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
His death triggered attacks and vandalism across Bangladesh, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram on Thursday.
Hadi, a prominent leader of the student-led protests last year that led to the ouster of the prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government, was a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
ALSO READ: Confusion over leadership in Karnataka is local, not at high command level: Kharge
He was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen at an election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area and died while undergoing treatment in Singapore on December 18.
“Due to the recent security incident at Assistant High Commission of India (AHCI) Chittagong, Indian visa operations at IVAC Chittagong (Chattogram) will remain suspended from 21/12/2025 until further notice,” the Indian Visa Application Centre (IVAC) said in a brief statement.
The announcement for reopening the visa centre will be made after reviewing the situation, the statement added. The decision came into effect on Sunday.
There are five IVAC facilities across Bangladesh at Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Chattogram and Sylhet. An IVAC official told PTI that the other four offices have remained operational as of Sunday.
India on Thursday resumed operations at its visa application centre in Dhaka, a day after closing it over escalated security concerns, but closed for a brief period two other identical facilities in Rajshahi and Khulna as anti-India protestors tried to march towards the Indian missions there.
On Saturday, security was strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city.
The enhanced security measures were put in place to ensure that “no third party can exploit the situation,” Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police Saiful Islam was quoted as saying by The Dhaka Tribune newspaper on Saturday.
Hadi, 32, was laid to rest on Saturday amid extra-tight security beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University mosque.
Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral prayers, and ahead of the ritual, chanted anti-India slogans like “Delhi or Dhaka - Dhaka, Dhaka” and “brother Hadi’s blood will not be allowed to go in vain.”
Earlier on December 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Bangladesh envoy Riaz Hamidullah and conveyed its strong concern over certain extremist elements announcing plans to create a security situation around the Indian mission in Dhaka.
“We expect the interim government to ensure the safety of Missions and Posts in Bangladesh in keeping with its diplomatic obligations,” it said.
The envoy was apprised of India's strong concerns about the deteriorating security environment in Bangladesh, it added.
