Karnataka govt will withdraw cases against pro-Kannada activists: CM Siddaramaiah

In a striking announcement on Monday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah declared that all cases against pro-Kannada activists would be withdrawn. 

He made this statement after unveiling a bronze statue of 'Nadadevi Bhuvaneshwari' at the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of power in Bengaluru. 

"We should love all languages but we must speak Kannada while in Karnataka," he said, adding that the use of Kannada should not be compromised despite Kannadigas’ generosity and hospitality towards non-Kannada-speaking residents. 

During the same event, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar announced that the government would mandate public and private sector establishments to hoist the Kannada flag on Karnataka Rajyotsava day (November 1). 

"Bengaluru is home to people who speak 107 languages. The government tried to mandate all establishments to hoist the Kannada flag, and we weren’t fully successful. However, in the coming years, we will ensure that the Kannada flag is hoisted," he said. 

Shivakumar added that the government was planning to distribute Kannada flags through the Department of Kannada and Culture to various other departments. 

"The statue of Mother Bhuvaneshwari will protect all Kannadigas," he said. "Karnataka is the only state in India to have its own flag dedicated to its language." 

Reflecting on 50 years since the the Mysore state was renamed to Karnataka, Siddaramaiah recited poet Channaveera Kanavi’s lines: 'Hesarayithu Karnataka, Usiragali Kannada' (the name became Karnataka, may Kannada be our breath). 

The event attracted hundreds of people from across Karnataka. Ministers and other participants were clad in yellow and red stoles, symbolising the colors of the Kannada flag. 

The Vidhana Soudha premises came alive with cultural activities, including dance and music performances, creating a vibrant celebration.

The newly unveiled statue of Bhuvaneshwari, located between Gates 1 and 2 of the Vidhana Soudha, represents Karnataka as the motherland. Carved by sculptor Gombe Mane Shridhar Murthy, the statue was commissioned by Siddaramaiah as part of the Suvarna Karnataka Sambhrama 50, marking the golden jubilee of the state's renaming.