The Karnataka BJP on Sunday condemned any attempts to insult the state and Kannada language as the border row with Maharashtra escalated.
Calling them as "unpardonable acts", BJP Karnataka president B.Y. Vijayendra said those who enjoy the benefits of the state but speak against Kannada and Karnataka cannot be forgiven.
"Insulting Kannada and Karnataka that too within the state is an unpardonable crime. I noticed the statement of Pro-Kannada organisations. We Kannadigas need to raise our voice against such aggression," he told reporters in Bengaluru.
Vijayendra's remarks came in the wake of an alleged attack on a KSRTC bus driver and conductor in Belgavi for not speaking in Marathi.
#WATCH | Karnataka: A KSRTC bus conductor beaten up allegedly for not speaking in Marathi, in Belagavi
— ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2025
Mahadev Hukkeri, KSRTC conductor, says, " ...A woman and a man were sitting in the bus, majority of the passengers in the bus were women, I was distributing tickets, in… pic.twitter.com/YB2pAMVkIM
Belagavi has a substantial Marathi-speaking population and a section among them have been demanding the merger of the district with Maharashtra. Karnataka, however, stoutly opposes the demand.
To assert its might, the Karnataka government has constructed Suvarna Vidhana Soudha in Belagavi where once a year it holds the legislative session.
#WATCH | Pune: Shiv Sena (UBT) workers staged a protest and blackened the buses with Karnataka number plates in the Swargate area of Pune city after a Marathi-speaking bus driver was assaulted in Belagavi, for allegedly not speaking in Kannada. (22.02) pic.twitter.com/SJ3s0s42p5
— ANI (@ANI) February 22, 2025
On Friday, Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus, which was plying from Bengaluru to Mumbai, was attacked in Chitradurga by pro-Kannada activists.
Following this, Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has ordered the suspension of the state transport buses to Karnataka.
The minister also alleged that the driver of the bus was assaulted by the protesters.
The KSRTC has also reduced the number of services to Maharashtra following the attack on its driver and conductor.
