Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Mar 1: Pro-Kannada organisations have announced a state-wide bandh on March 22 in protest against the recent attacks on RTC bus staff in Maharashtra and Belagavi for not speaking Marathi.
The bandh was declared by Kannada Okkuta chairman Vatal Nagaraj after a meeting with various Kannada groups in Bengaluru. Calling on chief minister Siddaramaiah to support the strike, Nagaraj urged the Kannada film industry, government employees, schools, and cab services to participate.
According to Nagaraj, over 1,000 organisations have already pledged support, with more expected to join. He criticised the ongoing targeting of Kannadigas in Belagavi and blamed successive governments for failing to curb the influence of Marathi-speaking groups such as the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) and Shiv Sena.
"The question remains—does Belagavi belong to Karnataka or Maharashtra? We demand a clear resolution to this issue," he asserted, also calling for a ban on MES.
In addition to the bandh, a series of protests have been planned, starting with a silent march from Town Hall to Freedom Park in Bengaluru on March 3. This will be followed by a ‘Belagavi Chalo’ protest on March 7. Further demonstrations include bandhs at Attibele and Hoskote toll plazas near the Karnataka border on March 11 and 16, respectively. The state-wide bandh on March 22 is expected to be a major show of strength for Karnataka’s self-respect.
Meanwhile, major Kannada organisations such as Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (TA Narayana Gowda and Praveen Kumar Shetty factions) have refused to support the bandh. However, Nagaraj remains firm that the strike will proceed as planned.
The unrest stems from an incident in Belagavi where an RTC conductor was assaulted for asking passengers to speak Kannada. The situation escalated after a POCSO case was filed against the conductor, allegedly for not speaking Marathi. Following public outcry, the victim’s family later withdrew the complaint and urged both states to maintain peace.