Bengaluru, February 25 The ruling Congress and the opposition BJP engaged in a heated exchange on Wednesday regarding an Urdu advertisement published in an Urdu daily about a Health Department program.
The Karnataka government launched the "Kusuma Sanjeevini" program, offering prophylactic treatment for haemophilia patients and free ambulance services, today.
Advertisements for the event were published in various publications, including some Urdu dailies published from Karnataka.
The advertisements in Urdu dailies were in Urdu, which has become a point of contention.
The BJP accused the Congress government of neglecting Kannada and engaging in appeasement politics by allegedly issuing an official invitation in Urdu. In response, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao stated that it was simply an advertisement intended to reach Urdu-speaking readers.
"For the sake of appeasement politics, the anti-Kannada, anti-State Congress government is even neglecting Kannada!" the BJP posted on 'X', supporting its claim that the invitation for launching preventive treatment and ambulance services was entirely in Urdu.
The BJP further questioned the government, asking, "CM Siddaramaiah, DCM D K Shivakumar – is the administrative language of Karnataka Kannada or Urdu?" They also targeted the health minister, asking, "Who gave you the authority to issue an official government invitation in Urdu simply because you speak Urdu at home?"
The party told Rao, "Speak Urdu in your home if you wish, but remember that Kannada is the administrative language of Karnataka."
The "speak Urdu" comment was apparently directed at Rao's wife Tabassum, who is a Muslim and is often targeted by BJP leaders for her faith.
Meanwhile, speaking to reporters in Mangaluru, the CM said that when the BJP was in power, they did nothing. When they are in the Opposition, they have made it a habit to protest.
"When giving advertisements, shouldn't we give them to Urdu newspapers as well?" Siddaramaiah sought to know.
Responding sharply to the charges, Rao accused the BJP of misleading the public.
"Have BJP leaders become so intellectually bankrupt that they cannot distinguish between an official invitation and a newspaper advertisement? Or are they determined to mislead the public at any cost?" he posted on 'X.'
He defended the department's action, stating, "There was no official invitation issued in Urdu here. Publishing advertisements in the language of a particular newspaper to ensure information reaches its readers is a routine administrative practice."
The minister also countered the BJP by referring to past governments.
"When B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai were in power, were advertisements not published in Urdu newspapers? By your own logic, does that mean all BJP leaders who issued advertisements in Urdu back then were 'anti-national'," he asked.
Extending a conciliatory note amid the political sparring, he said, "Since you are showing such excessive curiosity about the language spoken in our homes, I extend a cordial invitation – please visit our home. We would be happy to host you."
The minister also shared a series of advertisements in Urdu published by the BJP when it was in power in the state.