Siddaramaiah Slams Kerala's Malayalam Bill As 'coercive', Warns Of Constitutional Challenge

A major controversy is brewing between Karnataka and Kerala over the latter's proposed Malayalam Language Bill, which seeks to make Malayalam a compulsory first language. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has written to his Kerala counterpart, Pinarayi Vijayan, calling the move a 'coercive approach that violates the constitutional safeguards for the linguistic minorities'. Echoing this sentiment, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge stated, 'there is nothing wrong with promoting a language, but don't enforce'. The bill has caused concern in border areas like Kasargod, which has a large Kannada-speaking population. The Kerala government has responded, with Finance Minister K.N. Balagopal assuring that there will be no discrimination and that exemptions for linguistic minorities are in place.