Congress, BJP spar over Kannada in schools

A political slugfest ensued Tuesday with the BJP and the Congress fighting for credit over making Kannada compulsory in schools.

In a tweet, the ruling BJP claimed that the B S Yediyurappa administration had decided to make Kannada learning mandatory in schools. The Congress hit back saying the move happened when Siddaramaiah was the chief minister.

"Kannada is supreme in Karnataka. Chief Minister has taken a decision to make Kannada compulsory in all schools. Schools that will not make Kannada mandatory will lose their recognition," the BJP tweeted.

Soon, the Congress pointed out that the move was not new and that Kannada learning in schools was made mandatory long back. "Siddaramaiah had made Kannada mandatory during his tenure itself. Implement the rule as it is and try to make it more effective. Stop lying," the Congress retorted, adding that the BJP should ensure that Kannada was mandatory within its own offices.

Teaching Kannada in schools is mandatory as per the Kannada Language Learning Act, 2015. However, a recent CAG report pointed out that several schools, especially in Bengaluru, were yet to implement this government regulation.