Any attack on Kannada will not be tolerated, warns Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, Jul 31: Taking his advocacy of Kannada nationalism to a new level, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has reportedly said that any attack on Kannada will not be tolerated.

According to News Minute, the Congress government in this southern state had released a 14-minute video on YouTube, which shows CM Siddaramaiah as saying, ''those coming to Karnataka must adapt to the Kannada culture and not attack it."

The video also attempts to project Siddaramaiah as the “leader and protector of Kannada people”.

"Neighbours are our brothers and sisters, we must love them. But we must not have any reservations in sending out a stern message that we won't tolerate any attack on our language, land and water. Because protecting all these is our responsibility," the Karnataka CM said in the video.The video was released by the Karnataka government on Saturday.

This comes at a time when pro-Kannada sentiments are high across the state.
Siddaramaiah has been vocal on pro-Kannada sentiments - be it on appointing a committee to look into the legality of having a separate state flag, making Kannada mandatory in schools and reservations in jobs.

The Congress government recently asked Bengaluru Metro to do away with Hindi on signboards and wrote to the central government asking it to review its three-language policy for the Metro. 

All Kannadigas today must develop pride about our land, water and language. We must help develop our state. It is all our responsibility," Siddaramaiah said in the video titled 'Karnataka Namma Hemme' (Karnataka, Our Pride).

Officials in the information department, which uploaded the video on YouTube, said the short film was meant to show the chief minister's commitment towards Kannada language and culture.

The video also highlights the pro-Kannada initiatives of Siddaramaiah not just as chief minister, but during his entire political career. "

...My association with people like Devanoora Mahadeva, (Dr) Rajkumar, Pa Mallesh has also helped me...A lot of people have fought for the unification of Karnataka and people are trying to break the state for their selfish gains which I strongly condemn," Siddaramaiah said in the video.

Party insiders and political observers believe Siddaramaiah's pro-Kannada thrust ahead of the 2018 elections is not just targeted at "exposing" BJP , but also to keep a regional party like JD(S) at bay.