Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan took to X on Saturday to clear the air surrounding the Malayalam Language Bill, 2025, insisting that the fears being raised about it just don't square with the facts. His response comes on the heels of a pointed letter from Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, who warned that Karnataka would fight the bill with every constitutional tool at its disposal to protect the rights of Kannada speakers in border areas like Kasaragod.
Siddaramaiah had earlier argued that forcing Malayalam as the mandatory first language — even in Kannada-medium schools — was a direct hit to linguistic freedom. However, Vijayan countered this by highlighting a specific "non-obstante" clause in the bill designed to protect minority languages. He also shared a photo of the provision to prove his point, explaining that in notified areas, Tamil and Kannada speakers can still use their mother tongues for official business and have every right to receive government replies in those same languages.
On the education front, Vijayan clarified that there is no "language imposition" happening. He noted that students whose mother tongue isn't Malayalam are free to stick to the languages provided under the National Education Curriculum. Crucially, he added that students coming from other states or abroad won’t be forced to sit for Malayalam exams in Class 9, 10, or during their Higher Secondary years.
By framing the policy as being in total lockstep with the Official Languages Act and the Constitution, Vijayan attempted to shift the narrative back to the "Kerala model" of pluralism. He wrapped up his statement by emphasising that India’s diversity shouldn't be squeezed into a single mold and that his government is just as committed to protecting the linguistic identity of its citizens as it is to defending federal rights.
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