There's a very public and bitter battle over language in Karnataka - English versus Kannada. It began after Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw said the Kannada Development Authority was 'an insignificant group of naysayers' for opposing the state government's proposal to introduce English medium classes in 1,000 primary schools. The Kannada Development Authority chairman had led a delegation to Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, urging him to roll back the proposal and instead encourage education in the mother tongue, Kannada. The Authority has hit back, saying Ms Shaw does not have cultural and human values, and should visit a village. But she has stuck to her guns, saying English is needed for better jobs.
