People living here should learn Kannada, develop love for the language: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jun 20: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday urged people to take pride in speaking their mother tongue and said it is the responsibility of every Kannadiga to protect the Kannada language, land and water.
He noted that people living in Karnataka should learn Kannada and stressed the need to create a "Kannada atmosphere" in the state.
Speaking after performing 'bhoomi puja' for the construction of a 25-feet-tall bronze statue of Nada Devi Bhuvaneshwari on the premises of Vidhana Soudha here, the CM said speaking our mother tongue should be a matter of pride.
"A vow must be made that no language other than Kannada is spoken in the state. Kannadigas are generous. That is why there is an environment in Karnataka where even those who speak other languages can live without learning Kannada. The same situation cannot be seen in Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Kerala. They speak only in their mother tongue," he pointed out.
ALSO READ: CM Siddaramaiah emphasizes creating Kannada-centric atmosphere in Karnataka
Calling on Kannadigas to speak in their mother tongue, Siddaramaiah said there is no need to feel inferior about it.
"We also have to speak in our mother tongue. That should make us proud..." he added.
Asking people living in Karnataka to learn Kannada, the CM said, "It is the duty of all of us to create a Kannada atmosphere. For that, all the people living here should learn Kannada. We cannot remain silent like that. Kannadigas are not insolents. But love for Kannada should be developed."
"We should not become like the bigots in other states. But we should develop respect and admiration for our language, land and country," he said.
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.
NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
