The Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah wrote a letter to Narendra Singh Tomar, the Urban Development minister, asking for the removal of Hindi sign-boards from Bengaluru’s metro stations.
The letter goes on to state that while three language formula has been followed, the names on metro stations should be written in line with the State’s Language Policy.
When the (metro) project was first inaugurated in 2011, the BMRCL has been following the three language formula and writing the names on metro stations in English, Kannada and Hindi.
Siddaramaiah elaborated as to why the State’s Language Policy should be used instead.
Although both Government of India and the Government of Karnataka have an equal (50:50) equity stake in the BMRCL, the state government’s financial contribution is much more than the Indian government’s.
The letter further goes on to say, “Moreover, the supervision of operations, providing security etc to BMRCL, is the responsibility of the state government. Also, the state government has undertaken to repay all the loans contracted by BMRCL, and also to bear the operating losses. Therefore, it would be appropriate that the policies of the state government are implemented in the project.”
Siddaramaiah goes on to write that the agitation for Hindi’s removal began on social media, and litterateurs and intellectuals of the city have also supported the removal of Hindi from the signboards as it isn’t the state’s language, becoming counterproductive for commuters who aren’t familiar with the language.
The letter concludes with a plea for the cultural aspirations of the state to be respected and remove the Hindi script as it is a language most commuters cannot understand.
Read the full letter below.
(With inputs form Arun Dev)
(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue?
Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL at bol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)