Taking the Hindi versus regional languages controversy back to political air , Janata Dal-S (JD-S) leader and former Karnataka chief minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Friday took jibe on Karnataka government over conducting the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) exams for Central government departments in English and Hindi only.
Kumaraswamy alleged that the BJP is trying to suppress regional languages. Taking to his twitter handle, he wrote, “SSC is conducting exams for 20,000 vacancies in English and Hindi only. Selected candidates can be posted in any state. No scope for conducting the exams in any regional languages, including Kannada. Can there be any more evidence of Hindi imposition and language discrimination than this,”
The former CM alleged that the state government is pushing forward the BJP-led central government’s Hindi agenda in the state.
“It appears that the BJP bears the evil intention of destroying regional languages. It seems they are filled with hate for southern languages, including Kannada. They intend to bury the three-language formula,” Kumaraswamy wrote in his multiple thread tweet.
He went on to demand that the SSC exams should be conducted in Kannada also, and only Kannada-speaking persons should be appointed to posts in the state.
On the other hand, leaders of the ruling BJP in Karnataka shot down the objections as a poll step that is being raked up with the upcoming assembly elections in mind.
The CGL exam will be conducted by the Staff Selection Commission through which about 20,000 jobs in Union government departments will be filled.
Kumaraswamy’s reaction came after Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi marked her opposition on the government notification which states that only English and Hindi languages will be used for the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) exam.
Criticizing the Union government’s announcement regarding the CGL examination, Kanimozhi said, “The Indian Union’s sovereignty is rooted in its pluralism. On the contrary, trying to impose singularity on everything is going against the democratic spirit.”