An incident of humor turned into controversy during the inauguration of the NEET online coaching session at Vidhana Soudha on Wednesday, November 20, when Karnataka’s Primary and Secondary Education Minister, Madhuswamy, was ridiculed by a student.

The event, which was an online interaction session with students, took a sharp turn when one student, while sharing their opinion, remarked that the Education Minister, Madhuswamy, could not speak Kannada. Upon hearing this, the Minister initially took it lightly, joking about the student speaking in Urdu and how media would blow it out of proportion. However, things took a more serious turn when the Minister directed that action be taken against the student.

Minister calls for action against student

Minister Madhuswamy, visibly upset, instructed the officials to take strict action against the student who made the remark. “Who said that I cannot speak Kannada? Record this and take action against him. He should feel ashamed,” Madhuswamy said.

He also instructed the teachers and officials to address the issue seriously and investigate who made the statement, ensuring that the student faces consequences.

Opposition BJP criticizes minister’s reaction

The opposition BJP strongly condemned the Minister’s response. Posting a video on social media platform ‘X’, the BJP claimed, “If you speak the truth, you get attacked by the Education Minister, who is absolutely unqualified!” They pointed out that the Minister had previously admitted to not being fluent in Kannada, and criticized his reaction as an overreach. The BJP accused Congress of authoritarian behavior, which they argued was harmful to democracy.

Opposition leader calls for Chief Minister’s intervention

Responding to the incident, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayana Swamy, questioned the competency of Madhuswamy as the Education Minister, stating, “How can a person who doesn’t know Kannada be fit to be the Education Minister?” He demanded that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah take action against the Minister for issuing such instructions.

This incident has sparked a debate over the role of language in governance and the appropriateness of the Minister’s reaction.