Ajay Devgn Vs Sudeep: Karnataka CM, leaders across parties unite amid Hindi 'National language' row

From Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai to former chief ministers Siddaramaiah and HD Kumaraswamy, political leaders of Karnataka have reacted sharply to Ajay Devgn's statements where he told Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep that "Hindi was, is, and always will be our national language."

Bengaluru: The subject of Hindi being India's national language - a debate that has repeatedly sparked controversy - is once again a hotly debated topic, following the war of words on Twitter between Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn and Kannada actor Kichcha Sudeep. 

Politicians across party ranks - from BJP to congress - in Karnataka have come out in support of Sudeep and have slammed Devgn, who took to Twitter to respond to Sudeep by saying, "Hindi was, is and always will be our national language."

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai stood behind Sudeep and said a "regional language is the most important as a state is formed on linguistic bases. "What Kiccha Sudeep said was correct. A regional language is the most important as a state is formed on linguistic bases. Everyone should understand and respect what Sudeep has said," the Karnataka CM said on Ajay Devgn-Kiccha Sudeep argument over Hindi national language.

What Kiccha Sudeep said was correct. A regional language is the most important as a state is formed on linguistic bases. Everyone should understand and respect what Sudeep has said: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai on Ajay Devgn-Kiccha Sudeep argument over Hindi national language pic.twitter.com/x5ALTeJCsg

— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2022

Former Chief Minister of Karnataka and leader of the opposition in Karnataka Legislative Assembly, Siddaramaiah, tweeted, "Hindi was never & will never be our National Language. It is the duty of every Indian to respect linguistic diversity of our Country. Each language has its own rich history for its people to be proud of. I am proud to be a Kannadiga!! (sic)", Siddaramaiah tweeted.

Hindi was never & will never be our National Language.

It is the duty of every Indian to respect linguistic diversity of our Country.

Each language has its own rich history for its people to be proud of.

I am proud to be a Kannadiga!! https://t.co/SmT2gsfkgO — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) April 27, 2022

Karnataka Congress President DK Shivakumar said, "There are 19,500 mother tongues spoken in India. Our love for India feels the same in every language. As a proud Kannadiga and a proud Congressman let me remind everyone that Congress created linguistic states so that no one language dominates another."

There are 19,500 mother tongues spoken in India.

Our love for India feels the same in every language.

As a proud Kannadiga and a proud Congressman let me remind everyone that Congress created linguistic states so that no one language dominates another.#UnityInDiversity — DK Shivakumar (@DKShivakumar) April 28, 2022

Another former CM, JD (S)'s HD Kumaraswamy slammed Ajay Devgn and tweeted, "Actor Kiccha Sudeep saying that Hindi is not a National Language is correct. There is nothing to find fault in his statement. Actor Ajay Devgn is not only hyper in nature but also shows his ludicrous behaviour. " He posted a series of tweets and said India is a land of multi-cultures and no effort should be made to disrupt this.

Actor @KicchaSudeep saying that Hindi is not a National Language is correct. There is nothing to find fault in his statement. Actor @ajaydevgn is not only hyper in nature but also shows his ludicrous behaviour. 1/7 — H D Kumaraswamy (@hd_kumaraswamy) April 28, 2022

At a film launch event last week, when he was asked how he viewed the record-breaking pan-India success of the Kannada film "KGF: Chapter 2", Sudeep had said, "Hindi is no more our national language." KGF's Hindi version alone has minted Rs 336 crore since its April 14 release, while the film has reportedly earned Rs 850 crore worldwide, reported PTI. 

Addressing the media in Kannada, Sudeep had said, "Hindi (filmmakers) should say they are making pan India movies. They have been dubbing those (Bollywood) movies into Tamil and Telugu, etc and they are struggling. They are not able to. Today, we just make films that reach everywhere."

Responding to Sudeep, Ajay Devgn, who recently starred in filmmaker SS Rajamouli's pan-India blockbuster "RRR", tagged the Karnataka-based actor on Twitter and wrote, "Hindi was, is and always will be our national language." "My brother, according to you if Hindi is not our national language then why do you release your mother tongue movies by dubbing them in Hindi?" Devgn wrote in Devanagari, the Hindi script. "Hindi was, is and always will be our mother tongue and national language. Jan Gan Man," the actor-filmmaker added in his tweet.

Devgn's tweet prompted Sudeep to post a reply explaining that his statement was perhaps taken out of context. In response, Devgn tweeted, "Hi @KicchaSudeep, You are a friend. thanks for clearing up the misunderstanding. I've always thought of the film industry as one. We respect all languages and we expect everyone to respect our language as well. Perhaps, something was lost in translation "

"Translation & interpretations are perspectives sir. Tats the reason not reacting without knowing the complete matter... matters.:) I don`t blame you @ajaydevgn sir. Perhaps it would have been a happy moment if i had received a tweet from u for a creative reason. Luv&Regards (sic)," responded Sudeepa, as he concluded this Twitter conversation.

(With PTI inputs)