Siddaramaiah's 'You know Kannada?' poser to President Droupadi Murmu sparks backlash

Bengaluru: BJP leaders, including former minister Suresh Kumar and state president B Y Vijayendra, on Wednesday, sharply condemned Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for his question ‘You know Kannada?’ to President Droupadi Murmu during her visit to Mysuru for the platinum jubilee celebrations of the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing. 

Siddaramaiah asked the question, while welcoming the President and later spoke in Kannada, emphasising the state’s official language. 

Suresh Kumar accused the chief minister of double standards and political hypocrisy, questioning why he never asked the same of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, sarcastically implying Siddaramaiah’s disrespect towards the president, while shielding his party leader. 

Vijayendra called Siddaramaiah’s conduct ‘arrogant and condescending,’ terming it an ‘unsavoury incident’ that violated the state’s hospitality tradition.

He stressed Kannada should unite, not divide, condemning the use of
language politics for ‘division and political opportunism’.

Both leaders praised President Murmu’s grace and humility, noting her pledge to learn Kannada and respect for India’s diverse languages and cultures. 

The state BJP chief accused the chief minister of a “divisive and disrespectful mindset,” asserting that “Karnataka deserves better.”