The former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Sunday questioned the Kerala government over attempts to change the names of certain places in Kasaragod district to Malayalam.
“It has come to my notice that the Kerala government has begun the process of changing the Kannada names of some of the villages in Manjeshwar of Kasaragod into Malayalam. Kasaragod is a place that has close ties with Karnataka. Kannadigas as well as Karnataka have a cultural bond with the people of Kasaragod,” he tweeted on Sunday.
In fact, he said, Kasaragod has remained as a symbol of linguistic harmony and coexistence. “Though Kannada- and Malayalam-speaking people are in equal numbers in Kasaragod, they are living in a harmonious manner,” he said, adding that there was a need to protect this in future as well. “In these times, which are marked by politics being played on emotions, it is inevitable to protect linguistic harmony.”
Requesting the Kerala government to retain the Kannada names of the villages, he said it was the duty of both Kerala and Karnataka to protect the traditional feelings of the Kannadigas living there.
