The Cabinet approved an ordinance on Friday that mandates the use of 60% Kannada language on sign boards for businesses, institutions, and other establishments, following several days of intense language disputes in Karnataka. As mandated by the Kannada Language Comprehensive Development (Amendment) ordinance, sixty percent of the nameplates and sign boards of businesses, hospitals, industries, and other organizations must be in Kannada.
A pro-Kannada group called the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) staged violent protests and vandalized properties in markets and business areas, specifically attacking and damaging sign boards that had the majority of the text written in languages other than Kannada. This is how the language dispute recently emerged in Bengaluru and a few other locations throughout the state. Images of the group's members destroying name plates and causing mayhem throughout the city went viral. Particularly, they went for the recently opened Phoenix Mall of Asia, which has been ordered to close until January 15 due to traffic issues. The head of Karnataka Rakshana Vedika, TN Narayan Gowda, stated that the organization planned to host a "awareness rally" over the 60% Kannada rule.
A local civic body decree mandating that businesses display 60% of their signs in Kannada is being called for to be implemented immediately by protestors. The directive came after a meeting with the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, a right-wing organisation that some saw as instigating the linguistic dispute. "There are 1400 km of arterial and sub-arterial roads in the city, and all the commercial shops on these roads will be surveyed zone-wise. After the survey, a notice will be given to the shops that do not use 60% Kannada language. After issuing the notice, they will be given time till February 28 to implement Kannada language nameplates and submit compliance to the respective zone commissioners," Tushar Giri Nath said.
