Union minister Pralhad Joshi backs demand for 60% shop signages in Kannada

Union minister Pralhad Joshi backs demand for 60% shop signages in Kannada

Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Union minister Pralhad Joshi on Wednesday expressed his support for the demand that shop signages in Karnataka should predominantly feature the local language. Joshi said that violence is not acceptable but stressed on the need for shopkeepers to understand the sentiment and necessity behind the demand.

In an interview with NDTV, the MP from Dharwad questioned the insistence on English-only signages, stating, “Everybody should be able to read the signs, and not everyone can read English. What is the harm in writing in Kannada as well as in English or another language, like Hindi? This is not England.”

Addressing concerns about sub-nationalism, Joshi said, “If there has been violence, that cannot be approved, but these people (shopkeepers) should also understand the sentiment and the necessity.”

The civic rules in Bengaluru currently specify that 60% of signage must be written in the vernacular language of the state. However, numerous shops, particularly in malls, have been accused of bypassing this rule.

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On Wednesday, pro-Kannada groups held protest at various part in the state capital demanding immediate implementation of the order by Bengaluru’s civic body. The incidents included the vandalisation of more than 20 shops in areas such as MG Road, Brigade Road, Lavelle Road, St Marks Road, and protests near Kempegowda International Airport.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has previously stressed the importance of learning Kannada for those residing in the state, responded to the developments by stating, “We will take action against those who took the law into their own hands and went against the law.”

According to BBMP chief Tushar Giri Nath, commercial stores under the civic body’s jurisdiction must comply with the 60% vernacular signage rule by February 28, with potential legal consequences, including the suspension of business licences, for non-compliance.