Barely 24 hours after the suggested thatnon-Karnatakastudents cannot be compelled to learnKannadaor any other language, chief minister BasavarajBommai, with passion that could easily have been taken for defiance, said his government will continue to fight to make the language a compulsory subject, not just in primary and secondary schools, but at the degree level as well.
Three days later, Bommai, in his state formation day speech on November 1, pledged that he is committed to establishing the supremacy of Kannada in Karnataka, and promised to reserve 75% of jobs for Kannadigas in both government and private sectors.
In line with the Centres policy, Karnataka has also taken steps to introduce Kannada medium of instruction in professional colleges. Approval has been granted to four engineering colleges Bheemanna Khandre Institute of Technology (Bhalki), SGC Institute of Technology (Chikkaballapur), Maharaja Institute of Technology (Mysuru) and BLDEB Institute of Technology (Vijayapura) to teach students from civil and mechanical streams in Kannada.