Siddaramaiah slams SBI branch manager's Kannada snub, but ‘issue now closed'
A controversy over linguistic insensitivity at a State Bank of India (SBI) branch in Bengaluru has now been deemed closed, following the swift action by the bank, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated via social media.'The behaviour of the SBI Branch Manager in Surya Nagara, Anekal Taluk refusing to speak in Kannada & English and showing disregard to citizens, is strongly condemnable. We appreciate SBI's swift action in transferring the official. The matter may now be treated as closed,' Siddaramaiah weighed in on the matter through a post on X.
advertisementHe also cautioned against such incidents' recurrence. 'However, such incidents must not recur. All bank employees must treat customers with dignity and make every effort to speak in the local language. I urge the @FinMinIndia & Dept of Financial Services to mandate cultural and language sensitisation training for all bank staff across India. Respecting the local language is respecting the people. #KannadaFirst,' he wrote.
Former Infosys director TV Mohandas Pai also lent his support to the Chief Minister's stand. 'I fully agree with our @CMofKarnataka @siddaramaiah. All customers should be treated with dignity and respect. In every state or district, people who serve should try their best to speak the local language to show respect and dignity to local citizens. Never look down on non-English speakers. Hindi is not the default language to the local language. We need a locally inclusive service culture,' he posted on X.
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The row erupted after a video surfaced online showing an altercation between a customer and a staffer, presumably the manager of SBI's Surya Nagar branch in Anekal taluk. In the footage, the staffer is seen refusing to converse in Kannada during an interaction, questioning if there is any rule that mandates her to do so. The exchange escalates, with the customer repeatedly asking the official to speak in Kannada. The staffer retorts, 'This is Karnataka,' to which she replies, 'This is India,' before stating, 'I will never speak Kannada,' and walking away.The video, widely circulated on the social media platform X, triggered public outrage and calls for accountability. Users tagged the SBI and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, accusing the bank staff of imposing Hindi, misbehaving with customers, and flouting Reserve Bank of India (RBI) norms.In response, SBI issued a statement expressing regret and confirmed that the incident was under internal review. The bank reiterated its zero-tolerance policy towards conduct that adversely impacts customer sentiment and pledged its commitment to respectful service.While the SBI has transferred the staffer involved and the Chief Minister has called the issue resolved, both officials and citizens have stressed that such incidents must not be repeated and have renewed the call for respectful, locally sensitive service standards across the country.
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