Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has expressed strong opposition to the Malayalam Language Bill passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly, arguing that making Malayalam the mandatory first language in schools will adversely affect Kannada-speaking minorities in border districts.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has urged his Kerala counterpart, Pinarayi Vijayan, to intervene and protect the constitutional rights of linguistic minorities in the state, specifically those in Kasaragod district whose mother tongue is Kannada.
The Chief Minister’s intervention comes on the heels of a meeting between the Karnataka Border Development Authority and Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar. The Authority has requested the Governor to withhold his assent to the controversial bill.
In a statement on X, Siddaramaiah termed the legislation an infringement on constitutional guarantees.
"This is an attack on the constitutional linguistic rights of minorities. We do not expect a Communist government in Kerala to deny the rights of minorities," Siddaramaiah stated. He further added, "Geographically, Kasaragod may be in Kerala, but emotionally, it remains close to Karnataka".
While acknowledging Kerala's right to promote its language, Siddaramaiah warned against doing so at the cost of others.
"The Kerala government has every right to work for the upliftment of the Malayalam language. However, it should not be at the expense of other languages. It is the duty of our government to ensure that the rights of Kannada speakers are protected. If the move is to proceed with the bill, we have decided to oppose it," he asserted.
Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao stated that the Malayalam Language Bill is anti-Kannada minority. Karnataka Minister for Culture Shivaraj Tangadagi also added that they would meet the President to oppose the imposition of Malayalam on Kannadigas.
The primary concern raised by Karnataka is the practical difficulty the bill poses for students in the Kerala-Karnataka border regions, particularly in Kasaragod, who rely on Kannada as their medium of instruction.