Mysuru: While some are calling it banter, others believe it was an effort to catch President Droupadi Murmu on the wrong foot, even as the language row continues across several states in the country.
The President was in Mysuru, Karnataka, on Monday for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH). Chief minister Siddaramaiah began his speech in Kannada and then turned to the President and asked whether she knows the language.
She doesn’t, but would try to learn it, Murmu replied with a smile.
If this was an effort to put the President in an awkward position then Siddaramaiah failed miserably.
“I would like to tell the honourable chief minister that although Kannada is not my mother tongue, I deeply cherish all the languages, cultures, and traditions of my country. I hold great respect and regard for each of them,” the President said.
“I wish that everyone continues to keep their language alive, preserves their traditions and culture, and moves forward in that direction. I extend my best wishes for this. And I will certainly make an effort to learn Kannada, little by little,” she added.
Chief ministers generally deliver their addresses in Hindi or English in events attended by the President, but Siddaramaiah is among the hardliners when it comes to imposition of Kannada in the state.
He had earlier said: “Everyone living in this state should learn to speak Kannada. We are all Kannadigas. People speaking different languages have settled here (and) everyone living in this state should learn to speak Kannada.”
The remark had triggered protests by opposition parties and leaders. Even during his previous tenure as chief minister, Siddaramaiah had emphasised on the wider use of Kannada across Karnataka.
Im recent times, states like Karnataka and Maharashtra have witnessed even violent incidents over the imposition of Kannada and Marathi.
