Karnataka: Circular selecting only Hindi-speaking students for official tour stokes controversy, govt assures action

Bengaluru: Amidst brewing "Hindi imposition" controversy, Karnataka Education Minister BC Nagesh on Thursday said the state government will take action against any officer or staff responsible for sending only students with knowledge of Hindi for an official programme in Uttarakhand.

"As part of the commemoration of the Independence Day, the central and state governments have not given any indication that Hindi/English language knowledge is compulsory for students travelling from Karnataka. Disciplinary action will be taken by the department against the officer or staff responsible for this confusion," he said in a tweet.

The warning comes in the wake of reports that pre-university education department’s instructions allegedly mentioned that only Hindi-speaking students will be selected for a five-day tour to Uttarakhand for a central government-sponsored programme.

Opposition parties in Karnataka have latched on to the row stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government was imposing Hindi on southern states and other places as part of its “one-nation, one-language” propaganda.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumarasway said ignoring Kannada students during school excursions is a heinous act.

"BJP governments in the centre & the state, which are conspiring for ‘One Bharat, One Language’ policy, are involved in the heinous act of ignoring Kannada students during school excursion. This is inexcusable & condemnable," he tweeted.

Kumarasswamy said there is a need to protect Kannada from those patronising Hindi. "Kannada & Karnataka are caught in butchers’ hands," he added.

The guilty officer who issued such an order should be transferred, Kumaraswamy said, adding that Kannada students should be mandatorily selected for the tour.

"If the government does not cancel the order and send Hindi-speaking students to Uttarakhand, the party will hit the streets and protest," he said. (UNI)