Edited by Deepali Verma
The Karnataka Rakshana Vedika, a pro-Kannada activist group, had its members detained on December 27 after they vandalised certain stores in Bengaluru demanding Kannada nameplates to be put up in obedience of the guidelines of the civic authority. Several videos of their rampage on Bengaluru streets have gone viral and are making rounds on social media.
Watch the viral video here:
https://x.com/ANI/status/1739893262209749018?s=20
TN Narayan Gowda, the president of Karnataka Rakshana Vedika remarked that his organisation put together an awareness protest rally about the 60% Kannada on signboard rule that is a government law. There have been claims by several social media accounts that nameplates which had Kannada apart from English were also vandalised.
The 60% Kannada rule:
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has established a rule that all commercial establishments have to put up 60% signage in Kannada. The guideline sets the ground for more than half of a signboard to be read in Kannada. A deadline of February 28 has been given on this guideline failing which the shops will be shut and their trade licences would stand cancelled.
The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry on December 27 asked the authorities not to initiate action before the deadline. The federation said it will request all the members to adhere to the rule but the government should engage in any action against establishments before the deadline. Most establishments were unaware that the 60% Kannada was a BBMP rule and not the demand of some fringe organisations.
Gowda explicitly voiced that if establishments do not want Kannada names on their sign boards then they should move out of Karnataka. “People from across the states are doing business in Bangalore yet they don’t put Kannada nameplates on their shops. They are putting nameplates of their shops in English only.”
“We asked them to put a Kannada name plate but Mall of Asia (Bangalore) did not bother and has yet not put a Kannada nameplate, we will fight against this. Police right now are providing full protection to the Mall of Asia (Bengaluru), but tomorrow who will provide protection? Tomorrow our activists will protest again until our demand is met,” Narayan Gowda said.
Chief Minister warns of action against protesters:
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, addressing the recent rampage, said, “I don’t know what the protestors are doing. I have received information regarding Narayana Gowda protesting about having Kannada name boards. We will initiate stringent action against those who took the law into their own hands and went against the law.”
On the other hand, the Karnataka BJP leaders blamed the Congress government for the creation of Kannadiga versus non-Kannadiga row in Bengaluru, Union minister and Karnataka MP Pralhad Joshi backed the demand of 60% Kannada and questioned the establishments on why they don’t want Kannada signage. “Everybody should be able to read the signs and not everyone can read English. What is the harm in writing in Kannada as well as in English or another language, like Hindi? This is not England,” he said.
The netizens have further extended their support to the use of Kannada on sign boards. Let’s read that they had to say:
@bonsasoopu: “Bengaluru is a city of kannadigas,someone had to reiterate it loud and clear.Proud of our boys”
@rsaxena_rajat: “Those educated folks who are defending the vandalism done today in #Bengaluru, either directly, or by using “but”, “however”, etc., please understand that writing in English, IN ADDITION TO Kannada, doesn’t insult any language. All it leads to is a blot on an otherwise good image.”
