Bengaluru residents breathed a huge sigh of relief when the full first Phase of the Bengaluru metro was launched on 19 June. Not all of the metro’s additions, however, have gone down well with the public.
The prominent use of Hindi in the sign boards on the metro has angered many residents who took to Twitter to voice their anger.
The hashtag ‘#NammaMetroHindiBeda’ began trending on Twitter, with various users criticising both the metro officials and the CM of Karnataka for including Hindi in the sign boards.
According to The Deccan Herald, the social media campaign was the result of a sustained movement by Banavasi, an association of Kannada lovers, who have long struggled for the primacy of Kannada in various spheres of life, including the metro.
“Hindi Domination Over Other Languages Has to Stop”
The anger displayed by the citizens stems from the fact that Hindi was included alongside Kannada and English.
The Deccan Herald quoted Arun Javagal of the Banarvasi Association saying:
We are not against Hindi, but we definitely won’t allow its imposition. The state government should stick to two-languages – Kannada and English – in Namma Metro.
Javagal told The Deccan Herald that through several RTI replies from Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited over the last few years, the association understood that the three-language policy in Namma Metro neither had the backing of the Centre nor the state.
Some users also drew comparisons to the newly launched Chennai metro.
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