Will do everything to oppose Kerala's Malayalam Bill: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said Karnataka "will do everything" to oppose a law proposed by Kerala that will make Malayalam the first language even in Kannada-medium schools. 

The proposed Malayalam Language Bill "strikes at the heart of linguistic freedom and lived reality of Kerala’s border districts, especially Kasaragod," he said in a statement. 

"For children of linguistic minorities, language is not a 'subject' alone. It is identity, 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 freedom to choose a second language, and weakens minority-run institutions and minority-medium education ecosystems," the CM said.

He said people, for long, have studied in Kannada-medium schools. They rely on Kannada in daily life, he said. "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," he said. 

Citing Articles 29, 30, 350A and 350B of the Constitution, he said no government can "trample" rights of linguistic minorities. 

"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 the Bill.  

"If this Bill is passed, Karnataka will do everything to oppose it, using all the rights granted by our Constitution," the CM said. "We will stand with every Kannadiga, with people of Kasaragod, with linguistic minorities and with all those who believe that India belongs equally to every language and every voice," he said. 

The CM said Malayalam, Kannada & "every mother tongue" should flourish. "That is the India our Constitution promised & the India we must defend," he said.