Champa, CM in war of words

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has challenged poet Chandrashekhar Patil (Champa) to make public to which schools his grandchildren are going, a day after the latter asked Kumaraswamy to follow ‘Maitri Dharma’ by continuing the commitment shown by the previous government to protect government schools.

“Champa should not cross his limits and only those issues, which are relevant on the platform of Kannada Sahitya Sammelana, should be there. Did I form the coalition government by consulting him?” he shot back.

Speaking to media persons here on Saturday, he said, “Champa asked me not to be ‘Kutharaswamy’ (detrimental) to Kannada. I could have also used such words and could have spoken louder. I did not attend Sahitya Sammelana to embarrass somebody or to enter into a conflict. I am also in favour of protecting Kannada and this government would not allow any threat to our language”.

“Champa has lauded Siddaramaiah government for forming a committee to recommend steps for protecting Kannada schools. Let him give certificate to anybody, but he should discuss reality and suggest solutions. Sammelana president Chandrashekhar Kambar himself noted that admission in government schools came down by 13 lakh in four years from 2013-14 and it increased by 15 lakh in private schools. Did it happen in last six months and am I the reason for this situation?” Kumaraswamy asked.

“Let’s close down all private English medium schools if the Kannada Sahitya Parishat passes a resolution. Let them think about whether it is practical or not?” he stated.

He also reiterated that a final decision on English medium in government schools would be taken after discussing the issue in a meeting of experts.