Bengaluru, March 30 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka on Monday criticised the Congress government for removing Hindi as a third language for Class 10 students, alleging that the move has harmed the future of students. He said the decision was not driven by love for Kannada but was purely political.

Speaking at a press conference in Bengaluru, Ashoka said the Education Department had suddenly removed Hindi as a third language. “This decision has been taken at a time when students are writing their examinations. Lakhs of students have studied and prepared Hindi as a subject. This sudden move has created a major problem,” he said.

He added that in 1918, Mahatma Gandhi had served as the president of the Hindi Prachar Samiti and had initiated its activities in South India. “Congress leaders, who are unaware of this history, have abruptly scrapped Hindi. We must be sensitive when it comes to children,” he said.

Ashoka said English is a global language used for communication across countries. “Even Urdu, though not originally from our country, is learned by us. Tamil, Malayalam, and Telugu are all Indian languages. Students who expected to score high marks in Hindi are now disappointed due to the government’s decision. This reflects the government’s weakness and is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi,” he said.

He pointed out that Congress leaders had earlier protested strongly when Mahatma Gandhi’s name was removed from MGNREGA, but are now silent. “India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru introduced the three-language formula, and later Indira Gandhi strengthened it. Just because Tamil Nadu has adopted a certain model, they are trying to implement the same here,” he said.

He further alleged that while Muslims in Tamil Nadu speak pure Tamil and those in Kerala speak pure Malayalam, Muslims in Karnataka do not speak fluent Kannada. “The Congress government has no intention of ensuring that they speak proper Kannada,” he claimed.

Questioning the decision, he said, “If Kannada students clear IAS or IPS and go to Hindi-speaking states, what language will they use there? This move has been made out of anger towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It is vote-bank politics and a step that harms children’s future.”

He added that the BJP would implement the National Education Policy in the future, which provides language options.

Ashoka expressed confidence that the BJP would win the by-elections in Davanagere and Bagalkot.

He claimed that Muslims in Davanagere and voters in Bagalkot are against the Congress. He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is personally campaigning due to fear of losing his position, while Minister Zameer Ahmad Khan is not participating actively and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar is also under pressure.

He alleged that late Shamanur Shivashankarappa had promised a ticket to a Muslim candidate, but instead it was given to a family member in Davanagere. He also criticised the government for increasing borrowing every year and said that welfare schemes are not reaching the poor.

Referring to a terror-related case, he claimed that an accused who had allegedly planned cooker bomb blasts at Dharmasthala and Kadri temples had confessed. He criticised Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar for earlier referring to the accused as “my brother”, and demanded clarification from the Congress. “For votes, they even go against the nation and call such people brothers,” he alleged.

He said the Congress is surviving due to the INDIA bloc and predicted that the party would decline nationally in the future. He also said PM Modi has ensured that oil shipments from Iran reach India and expressed hope that the issue would be resolved gradually.

–IANS

mka/pgh