Karnataka Minister slammed for reaction to student questioning his Kannada

The Karnataka BJP condemned the state education minister for instructing his department to take action against a school student. Madhu Bangarappa was reportedly questioned by the student why he wasn't speaking in Kannada despite being the state education minister.

In Short

• Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa ordered action against student
• Minister got agitated over being questioned for not speaking Kannada
• BJP leaders condemned Bangarappa for his ‘high-handed’ behaviour

Karnataka Education Minister Madhu Bangarappa raked up a fresh controversy for ordering action against a student during an online interaction.

The incident happened at Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday, during the launch event of the state’s free online NEET, CET coaching for government pre-degree college students.

In a video that was being widely circulated, Bangarappa was seen engaging with students in an online dialogue. An unseen student was heard telling the minister that he does not speak Kannada properly. Upon hearing this, Bangarappa was seen saying: “Who's saying that? Am I speaking in Urdu now? Those people on TV will say put that and run it. Who said that I don't know Kannada? Record it, take action against them. That was very stupid. This has to be taken very seriously. I will not be silent and let it go.”

Bangarappa was then seen instructing Principal Secretary Ritesh Kumar to not drop the matter.

Reportedly, the education department officials were looking for the student who made the statement.

The BJP, on the other hand, condemned the minister’s reaction to the question. BJP leader Basanagouda R Patil Yatnal expressed his outrage through a post on X.

Tagging several Kannada news channels, Yatnal, in his post wrote:

“It is known to the state that the education minister does not speak Kannada. The fact that the minister told in front of the media to take action against a student for telling a minister that he does not speak Kannada shows how dishonest he is.”

Yatnal further stated that the “state education minister should learn to speak, write, read and communicate in Kannada clearly” and that “constructive criticism from both students and journalists should be accepted.”

“In a democracy everyone has freedom of speech including students, suppressing it is despicable and reprehensible. No action should be taken against the student who questioned the minister's incompetence,” he wrote before tagging local media.

Not just Yatnal, BJP MLA CN Ashwath Narayan also condemned Bangarappa. “He is behaving as if he's a commander in the military. He is in public life and should take this as a challenge. I wish no action should be taken against that student,” Narayan said.

Bangarappa’s reaction came at a time when the state was already taking strong measures to make Kannada compulsory, not just in schools but also in corporate offices as well.

with inputs from Anagha K & Sagay Raj