‘Strongly condemnable': CM Siddaramaiah slams SBI manager for refusing to speak Kannada
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday condemned the conduct of a State Bank of India (SBI) branch manager in Anekal taluk, who allegedly refused to speak in Kannada during a confrontation with a customer, a video of which went viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage.
In the now-viral video, recorded at the Surya Nagar branch in Anekal, the woman manager can be heard repeatedly insisting that she would not speak in Kannada and would only converse in Hindi.
The customer, invoking Reserve Bank of India (RBI) guidelines, argued that bank officials are expected to communicate in the regional language. Despite this, the manager stood her ground, igniting anger among Kannada activists and pro-Kannada groups, who have since demanded an apology and disciplinary action.
(Also Read: Bengaluru SBI manager's refusal to speak Kannada sparks outrage: 'I live in India')
Reacting to the public backlash, SBI swiftly transferred the manager. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah acknowledged the move on X (formerly Twitter), calling the manager's behaviour 'strongly condemnable' and thanking SBI for its prompt response.
'The behaviour of the SBI Branch Manager in Surya Nagara, Anekal Taluk, refusing to speak in Kannada and 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,' he posted.
(Also Read: Bengaluru BJP MLA Munirathna faces gang rape charges, urinating on woman's face: Report)
However, the Chief Minister stressed that such incidents must not happen again. Emphasising the importance of linguistic respect in public service, he called on the Union Finance Ministry and the Department of Financial Services to ensure that all banking staff across the country receive cultural and language sensitisation training. 'Respecting local language is respecting the people,' he said, adding the hashtag #KannadaFirst.
(Also Read: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah lauds Banu Mushtaq's International Booker win)
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