Kannada activists painting banners with Hindi words black on Mysuru Road in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Kannada activists from Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) blackened several flex boards on Mysuru Road welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi as they were in Hindi. The flex boards indicated they were put up by the Horticulture Minister and Rajarajeshwarinagar (RR) MLA Munirathna’s supporters. 

R.R. Nagar police rushed to the spot and detained the group. Dharmaraj Gowda, president, KRV Youth Wing, who led the agitation, criticised “a Karnataka Minister putting up flex boards completely in Hindi, without a word of Kannada” to welcome the PM. “We will not tolerate such slavery to Hindi by our representatives or any such imposition of Hindi. The police did not allow us to blacken all the flex boards put up on Mysuru Road. However, a team of our activists has gone on a convoy of bikes all the way up to Mysuru and will blacken all flex boards in Hindi,” he said. 

Meanwhile, the incident has raised questions over flex boards and BJP party flags that have adorned not only Mysuru Road, but other areas of the city wherever Mr. Modi will be visiting on Monday. Almost every Namma Metro pillar on Mysuru Road, where he will preside over two events has been adorned by flex boards welcoming him in the name of Ministers and has the face of Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also displayed prominently. 

It can be recalled that the CM had recently taken objection to flex boards welcoming him for an event to inaugurate development works in R.R. Nagar, also presided over by Mr. Munirathna. He had instructed civic officials from the stage to remove all flexes and banners and ensure they do not come up in the city anymore.

Following this, Deepak R.L., Special Commissioner (Revenue), Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), had recently said while penal action of booking cases would follow, the civic body had decided to collect the costs of removing these flex boards and banners from the person in whose name they had been put up illegally. 

Despite repeated attempts, Mr. Munirathna was not available for comment. 

Chief Civic Commissioner Tushar Giri Nath said that action will be taken as per law. Dr. Nagaraj, Joint Commissioner, R. R. Nagar Zone, BBMP, said all flex boards and flags that had come up illegally would be removed by Monday morning. 

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Printable version | Jun 20, 2022 11:46:46 am | https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/kannada-activists-blacken-hindi-flex-boards-ahead-of-modi-visit/article65543251.ece