Kannada Chaluvali Vatak Paksha leader Vatal Nagaraj staged a demonstration in the city on Monday in protest against the alleged closure of Kannada schools in the border areas of the neighbouring State of Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Nagaraj cited the example of Talwadi in Tamil Nadu where Kannada schools had either been closed or Kannada as the first language was no longer available as an option for Kannadigas residing there.
He said the issue has neither been discussed in the State Assembly nor had any of the elected representatives taken it up.
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He called upon Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take up the issue with his Tamil Nadu counterpart and ensure that Kannada as the first language was retained in local schools in Talwadi. “In Karnataka, students from other States have the option of studying their respective mother tongues but it is not so for Kannadigas living in other States,” he added.