Kerala-Karnataka Language Debate: Unfounded Concerns Over Malayalam Bill

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has dismissed Karnataka's concerns regarding the newly passed Malayalam Language Bill, stating that the law does not infringe on the constitutional rights of linguistic minorities.

In a letter to Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, Vijayan clarified that while Malayalam is made the first language in schools, provisions allow students to study their own mother tongue alongside it. The legislation supports cultural ties and cooperative federalism, according to Vijayan.

Despite the Kerala Assembly's approval of the bill, opposition voices, particularly from Karnataka, have challenged its implications for Kannada speakers in regions like Kasaragod, asserting no language should be forcibly imposed.