Bengaluru: Condemning the decision of the Congress-led government in Karnataka not to award marks for the third language, including Hindi, for Secondary School Leaving Certificate (Class 10) students, the BJP has said that connecting language is essential for nation-building and there was no need to oppose the Hindi language.
Addressing reporters in Bengaluru, C.N. Ashwath Narayan, former deputy chief minister and BJP MLA, on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Congress government over its decision to exclude third language marks from this year’s SSLC (Class 10) results, while also targeting the party on a range of national and state issues.
He alleged that the move to effectively shift towards a two-language policy was politically motivated and detrimental to students. He said the three-language policy had existed since before independence and continued even when the Congress party was in power, questioning the rationale behind the sudden change.
Narayan argued that a connecting language was essential for nation-building, and said there was no need to oppose Hindi, adding that the third language could be any Indian language, including regional or mother tongues. He maintained that Kannada had not been disturbed but described the decision as “purely political”. Calling education a concurrent subject, he warned that the move could face legal challenges and may backfire on the government.
However, commenting on the controversy regarding the government’s decision not to consider passing Hindi as compulsory for Secondary School Leaving Certificate (Class 10) students, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that the government has not taken any decision on an overall two language policy in the state yet and clarified that it is not opposed to learning Hindi.
Referring to the Mangaluru cooker blast case, Ashwath Narayan said the Congress stood “exposed” after the accused terrorist, Mohammed Shariq, allegedly confessed to planning further attacks, including at religious places. He accused Congress of indulging in appeasement and vote-bank politics, claiming the party had earlier defended the accused.
On Congress announcing “five guarantees” in Assam, he said the party has lost credibility and public trust across the country, alleging that people no longer believed in its promises.
Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism that Congress was politicising the Gulf crisis, he said the opposition party had a history of acting irresponsibly during national crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic and international conflicts. He stressed the need for unity during such times and condemned what he termed as politically motivated statements.
Commenting on remarks by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about a threat to her life, Narayan termed the statement “irresponsible”.
On rising drug-related cases in Karnataka, he alleged that the Congress government had failed to curb the drug mafia, calling its approach “soft and ineffective”. He urged the government to take stringent action and called for a coordinated effort involving parents, educational institutions, and authorities to eliminate drug abuse.
He also demanded that the Election Commission of India take suo motu action against an IUML leader over a controversial statement offering a UAE trip to voters, and sought disqualification based on the remarks.
(IANS)
