Bengaluru: After locking horns with Kerala, which interfered with the demolition of illegal occupants on a government land at Kogilu in Yalahanka, Bengaluru, the Karnataka government has now locked horns with Kerala regarding
its proposed Malayalam Language Bill - 2025, mandating Malayalam as first language even in Kannada medium schools.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Criticizes Bill as Threat to Linguistic Freedom
Taking to his X-handle social media, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the proposed bill strikes at the heart of linguistic freedom and the lived reality of Kerala border districts, especially Kasaragod.
``For children of linguistic minorities, language is not a subject alone, it is definitely dignity, access and opportunity. When the State compels a single `first language' choice, it burdens students who learn in their mother tongue, disrupts academic progression and confidence, narrows the freedom to choose a second language, and weakens minority-run institutions and minority-medium education ecosystems,'' he pointed out.
``In Kasaragod’s border belt, generations have studied in Kannada-medium schools and relied on Kannada in daily life and education. Local representatives have long pointed out that a large majority, figures even cited around 70% in parts of the district, prefer Kannada learning and the Kannada script ecosystem. This is not a threat to Malayalam, it is a testament to India’s plural culture, where languages coexist without fear.
Constitutional Rights Protect Linguistic Minorities
India’s unity rests on respecting every language and every citizen’s right to learn in their mother tongue,'' Siddaramaiah noted.
Stating that India’s unity rests on respecting every language and every citizen’s right to learn in their mother tongue, Siddaramaiah said that our Constitution is clear that no government can trample the rights of linguistic minorities. Articles 29 & 30 protect the right to conserve language and administer educational institutions of choice; Article 350A casts a duty to provide facilities for instruction in the mother tongue at the primary stage; and Article 350B mandates oversight for linguistic minority safeguards. Coercion in language policy goes against both the letter and spirit of these protections.
``Kerala has every right to promote Malayalam with pride. Karnataka does the same for Kannada which is our heartbeat and our identity. But promotion cannot become an imposition,'' Siddaramaiah said.
Urging the Kerala Government to withdraw this'coercive' approach and uphold India’s constitutional morality, the Karnataka Chief Minister said that the ideology that treats plurality as an inconvenience cannot lead a diverse nation forward.
``If this Bill is passed, Karnataka will do everything to oppose it, using all the rights granted by our Constitution. We will stand with every Kannadiga, with the people of Kasaragod, with linguistic minorities, and with all those who believe that India belongs equally to every language and every voice,'' Siddaramaiah warned.
