A bandh was called by Vatal Nagaraj, a Kannada activist and a politician on the background of BJP’s Parivartan Yatra on January 25 in Mysuru, Karnataka. The bandh call had a single point agenda that the ongoing Mahadayi issue be given a twist that the ruling Centre and State of Goa, both having BJP governments, had failed in resolving the long-standing issue. Siddaramaiah went on record stating that he had suggested the pro Kannada groups to protest when Amit Shah was in the State. So, the people of Karnataka knew well the motive behind the Bandh call and the support the Government was providing to the protesters.
While the history of Mahadayi itself points to the failure of Congress in Karnataka and later by Congress in Goa coupled with the decade of UPA rule at the Centre, albeit Vatal Nagaraj’s party was well aware as to how the trivial issue over Mahadayi (called Mandovi in Goa) was complicated to a stage of no logical conclusion. The state can rest assured that it shall not see any protests or even Bandh calls against the ruling Congress or even when its national President Rahul Gandhi visits Karnataka during elections because of the hand-in-glove attitude displayed by the protagonist groups.
Why is Congress to be blamed?
If one travels back to the history of Mahadayi issue where the meagre demand of 7.56 TMC by Karnataka to help the Northern districts toovercome hardships of drinking water, the NDA rule under Atal Behari Vajpayee had funded the project and later on when Karnataka had the coalition Government of JD (S) and BJP it saw some progress in the work. In the State of Goa, which went to elections, the then Congress President Sonia Gandhi had assured Goans that they would not allow diversion of Mahadayi River water planned by Karnataka which was a threat to ecology as well as a loss to Goa.
All said and done, the bandh had least success throughout the State while one saw a good turnout of audience at Shah’s meeting. With the elections in the fore, Amit Shah attacked CM Siddaramaiah for his failure in running the government efficiently. In response, the CM played the State identity card and also said Amit Shah, an ‘outsider’ was speaking against the son of soil and people of Karnataka would answer Shah and BJP appropriately. He had not failed to have some Kannada groups showing sympathy to him and portray BJP and Shah in poor light as if the agenda for this election was between Kannadigas and non-Kannadigas. Some Kannada groups were agile to take up the issue and also comment how Hindi speaking non-Kannadigas wanted to keep Kannada at bay in Karnataka.
This has happened in the past that the Kannada groups totally misunderstand the nationalism which BJP has practiced. They have also clandestinely supported Congress and its views and always have felt and have parroted to media that nationalism was hatred towards the culture of the State which certainly was either misunderstanding or a deliberate way to divert the attention. However, this time around, well before elections there are a couple of district presidents of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike who have openly said that they would not vote for BJP and campaign against them in the forthcoming elections. The State convenor of the KRV, Narayana Gowda has not taken any stand openly but is of the opinion that the district presidents had an authority to take such a decision indirectly backing Congress.
Misplaced Aspirations
Few months ago, the state saw another set of protests and sectarian calls for a separate flag for Karnataka. During the 1950s, Bengaluru had seen DMK leaders and several Tamil factions’ hoist Black and Red flag in many areas of the city. People saw it as the flag of Tamil Nadu and not a flag of a political party. Ma Ramamurthy, a Kannada leader, then decided to have a similar identity and designed a flag with yellow and red which represented vermilion and turmeric—a symbol of Karnataka culture. Since then the flag was deemed to be the unofficial state flag. In 2012, the HC questioned the need for a state flag. The issue was in a limbo until the Congress Government rekindled the issue last year and pledged that a new flag shall be designed for the State. The law experts always felt that such a thing would not be accepted as per law but the adamant Government with the intention to divide people through identity politics and also to portray itself as pro-Kannada, revived the issue as it would make them popular among the Kannada chauvinists.
The need of the flag for Karnataka was justified by two fake reasons: J&K which had a separate flag; Nagaland which had a separate flag.
While the second reason was misconstrued and there existed no flag for Nagaland nor did the Centre promise it, comparing J&K’s condition with that of Karnataka was childish. While for the unification of Karnataka State, the flag has played a role, there existed no reason as to unify or bring about the state/language identity at this stage. Though the issue itself took the back seat, the state still has not laid off its hands fully and might use it as a trump card to garner votes. The law would not allow to have the State official flag and the State would then try to convince people that the ruling Centre headed by BJP is against it.
Karnataka Rakshana Vedike was recently exposed by a sting operation by a private news channel. Sunny Leone was to arrive in Karnataka to perform in the New Year bash in Bengaluru City. KRV stood firm saying it would not allow Sunny Leone to enter the state for her character was no role model to the people here. KRV protested again and threatened Sunny Leone not to perform in the city. The Home department did not pay heed to this and plainly said that it could not provide protection to Sunny Leone. The sting operation has exposed that the organisation had demanded 30 lakhs from her as protection money. No action was taken against KRV but some nationalists who wrote about this in social media were manhandled by the members of the organisation.
Love for Kannada or Hate for Hindi?
Another instance when the whole movement for Kannada and language identity took a nasty form was when the new Bengaluru Metro lines began operations. Namma Metro had the station names in Kannada (local language), English and Hindi. There were boards of caution which were installed with text in three languages. The ire of the protesters of Kannada groups was that such a three-language ‘imposition’ was uncalled for and they took law into hands by blackening the boards which had Hindi. The intention the protesters appeared to be that the Centre ruled by BJP had a big role in imposing Hindi on the South Indians. The previous leg of the Metro which began operating during UPA regime had seen no such protests about Hindi being imposed.
The protesting groups went to the extent of blackening the milestones on national highways which had Hindi painted on them for they opine English is a language which is needed for the survival and there is no harm in using English, whereas Hindi being a native Indian language would erode the culture of the state completely. The sad part was that support given to Hindi by National Highways was not something which started during NDA rule but has been there for ages. The protesters were either willfully blind or shamefully delinquent as the railway boards in North Karnataka have text in Kannada, English and Arabic/Urdu too. The Arabic language was never an impedance but Hindi is portrayed as the only threat!
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Praveen Sood was instrumental in lodging criminal cases against such people as took law into hands and damaged public property. But the State only shunted him out and also gifted those having criminal cases by freeing them.
Its Politics not Kannada!
These groups have spoken less when there were protests in state against Tipu Jayanti. It is a fact that Tipu despised Kannada and was a lover of Persian. The idea to commemorate the anniversary of a tyrant was to woo Muslim voters is known but ironically a person, who is also known in history for renaming Kannada names of places to Persian and removing Kannada words from day to day business and imposing Persian, is celebrated. KRV, Vatal’s party and other Kannada groups not only remained mute over this but a few among them openly supported Tipu! Such decrepit and seedy behavior can only be expected of those who indulge in hooliganism in the garb of safeguarding Kannada.
It is sad to note that all such protests and agenda being followed is nothing ingenious and is a copied idea from neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. The Dravida parties of Tamil Nadu which indulged in similar protests in the past have become role models for those here. The self-appointed Kannada protectors are also aping the MNS and their ilk in hooliganism and are mimicking them by borrowing their conventions and way of functioning.
There are umpteen issues that Karnataka is currently facing while the Government is trying to harp on them time and again to gain sympathy and to build the Congress’s vote bank. The worst part is that these groups evidently are hand-in-glove with the State Government only to oppose BJP and Modi. The issues of Kannada medium schools being shut down, honest officers being transferred and some dying under mysterious conditions, death of Kannada
speaking Hindu activists or even the suicide of farmers in the State have not been the issues of interest. The groups have become more politically oriented and are bereft of any
ideology. Their only philosophy is to blame someone and aid the narrative the Congress sets.
-Prashanth Vaidyaraj from Bengaluru
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