The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized Congress General Secretary K.C. Venugopal for allegedly disrespecting the Karnataka leadership, calling it a slight to the state’s people. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya highlighted historical instances of similar treatment within the Congress, citing the public humiliation of former Karnataka Chief Minister Veerendra Patil by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Malviya pointed out the recent incident where Venugopal advised Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on state governance matters, questioning the need for such interference from party officials based in Delhi. The BJP’s criticism coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s emphasis on preserving linguistic and cultural heritage during his Mann Ki Baat radio show, where he lauded efforts to promote the Kannada language.
The political discourse also touched on the language debate in Karnataka, with the state government advocating for prominent display of Kannada on shop signboards. This move has sparked tensions and controversies, with the Chief Minister accusing the Centre of imposing Hindi, a claim the Centre refutes by asserting that Hindi in schools remains a choice.
