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United News of India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Siddaramaiah condemns SBI official's conduct
Bengaluru, May 21 (UNI) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday condemned the reported misconduct of a State Bank of India (SBI) branch manager in Surya Nagara, Anekal Taluk, who allegedly refused to communicate in Kannada or English and displayed disregard for citizens. '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,' Siddaramaiah said in a statement posted on social media. The Chief Minister appreciated SBI's prompt response in transferring the official concerned and said the matter may now be treated as closed. However, he stressed that such incidents should not be repeated. 'All bank employees must treat customers with dignity and make every effort to speak in the local language,' he said, urging the Union Finance Ministry and Department of Financial Services to mandate cultural and language sensitisation training for all bank staff across the country. 'Respecting local language is respecting the people,' Siddaramaiah added. UNI BDN PRS
India Gazette
21-05-2025
- Business
- India Gazette
"Respect local language,"says CM Siddaramaiah after SBI manager refuses to speak in Kannada
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 21 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday strongly criticised the State Bank of India (SBI) branch manager in Surya Nagara, Anekal Taluk, Bengaluru for refusing to communicate in Kannada, despite the customer's request. Siddaramaiah called on the Ministry of Finance to enforce language sensitisation training for bank employees nationwide, emphasising that respecting local languages is key to serving people with dignity. In a social media post on X, Siddaramaiah wrote, '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 appreciate SBI's swift action in transferring the official. The matter may now be treated as closed.' The post further added on X, '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 Finance Ministry and Dept of Financial Services to mandate cultural and language sensitisation training for all bank staff across India. Respecting local language is respecting the people.' The Video of the manager refusing to speak in Kannada was viral on Social media and sparked further reactions from Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who stressed the importance of banks communicating with customers in Kannada. Surya wrote on X, 'This behaviour by SBI Branch Manager is simply not acceptable. If you are doing customer interface work in Karnataka, especially in a sector like banking, it is important to communicate to customers in the language they know. Being adamant like this is simply not right.' 'I have time and again raised this issue of mandatorily posting local staff or staff who know the local language in banking operations, both inside and outside Parliament. Just a few weeks ago, at a Public Accounts Committee meeting, I had raised this issue to the DFS Secretary who assured me action will be taken to follow a office notification that makes this requirement of local language knowledge compulsory. Looks like this still isn't being enforced properly,' he added. Surya further wrote, 'I urge the concerned at SBI to immediately implement the DFS policy that mandates local language requirement. I have spoken to concerned authorities to take action against this manager who has behaved in this manner. Banks working in Karnataka should serve customers in Kannada. Period.' (ANI)
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Business Standard
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
'This is India, I'll speak Hindi': SBI staff sparks Hindi-Kannada row
An SBI official refusing to speak Kannada in Bengaluru triggered public outrage, an official apology, CM Siddaramaiah's condemnation, and a renewed Kannada pride debate New Delhi A video showing a heated exchange between a State Bank of India (SBI) branch manager and a customer in Bengaluru's Surya Nagar has gone viral, fuelling Karnataka's ongoing language debate. In the clip, the customer repeatedly requests the official to speak in Kannada, to which she responds that she will not use the local language and insists on speaking in Hindi. 'I will not speak Kannada in Karnataka. Never. Speak in Hindi,' the official is heard saying. When the customer reminds her, 'This is Karnataka, ma'am,' she replies, 'This is India,' adding that her mother tongue is Hindi. The clip, posted on X, drew swift reactions, with users tagging senior officials, the Reserve Bank of India, and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, demanding action. Apology issued after public outcry Amid mounting criticism and calls for action, the SBI official appeared in another video, offering an apology. With help from colleagues, she addressed the issue in Kannada: 'If I have hurt anyone, I sincerely apologise. I will try to cooperate and conduct my business in Kannada going forward.' The arrogant SBI manager who was saying She will never speak Kannada now apologised. But look at her how she is giggling. @TheOfficialSBI she thinks this issue is a Joke. — ????Che_Krishna????????????❤️ (@CheKrishnaCk_) May 21, 2025 Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemns incident The matter caught the attention of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who condemned the behaviour and welcomed the bank's swift intervention. '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,' he wrote on X. He added: 'We appreciate SBI's swift action in transferring the official.' Siddaramaiah also emphasised the need to respect regional languages and urged for sensitisation training for banking staff nationwide. 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 (@siddaramaiah) May 21, 2025 SBI responds to viral video The State Bank of India issued a statement expressing concern and confirming that the matter is under thorough evaluation. 'We are deeply concerned about the recent incident at our Surya Nagar Branch of AO South Bengaluru. The matter is currently under thorough evaluation,' SBI said on X. 'State Bank of India maintains a policy of zero tolerance towards any behaviour that adversely affects the sentiments of our customers. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring respectful and dignified conduct towards all citizens.' Kannada language debate reignited The incident has reignited Karnataka's long-running debate on language, especially concerning the use of Kannada in public-facing roles. The row follows an earlier viral post urging 'outsiders in Bengaluru' to learn Kannada, which triggered widespread discourse online. Social media reactions remained divided. While many insisted that individuals working in Karnataka should respect and use Kannada, others argued that enforcing language preferences in a multilingual nation was impractical. The debate quickly spilled over into broader North vs South India discussions online, with strong opinions voiced over language, identity, and inclusivity.
Hans India
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Slams SBI Manager Over Kannada Language Row
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has addressed the controversy surrounding the use of Kannada at the State Bank of India (SBI) in Bengaluru. He criticized the bank manager's disrespectful behavior towards customers and called it inappropriate. Siddaramaiah emphasized that all bank employees should respect and communicate in the local language, especially when dealing with citizens. He stated that the SBI manager in Suryanagar was transferred after a video of her refusing to speak in Kannada went viral on social media. The Chief Minister noted that the issue seems to have been resolved for now, but further steps are needed to prevent similar incidents in the future. He urged the Central Department of Financial Services to ensure that bank staff across the country receive training on regional culture and language sensitivity. Siddaramaiah added that such behavior could worsen tensions amid ongoing language disputes. What actually happened? A video recently went viral showing a manager at an SBI branch in Suryanagar, Bengaluru, arguing with a customer who requested she speak in Kannada. In the video, the manager responded rudely, questioning if there was any rule requiring the use of Kannada, and stated defiantly that she would never speak it. The video triggered a backlash, with many people claiming this is common behavior by SBI staff across Karnataka. In response, SBI transferred the manager. The incident sparked statewide protests, with language-rights group Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) announcing protests on Wednesday. The group accused SBI of repeatedly ignoring local language needs and disrespecting Kannada-speaking customers. 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 (@siddaramaiah) May 21, 2025
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Business Standard
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
CM Siddaramaiah slams SBI manager for refusing to speak Kannada
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday condemned the conduct of an SBI branch manager in Bengaluru for allegedly refusing to speak in Kannada and arguing with a customer over it. The matter flared up when a purported video of an SBI branch manager in Anekal taluk went viral on social media, on Tuesday, in which she is arguing with a customer saying, 'I will not speak in Kannada for Hindi'. Despite the customer citing Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulations — which requires bank staff to communicate in the regional language — the manager can be heard repeatedly declining to do so. Referring to the incident, CM said, '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.' He further appreciated SBI's swift action in transferring the official. 'The matter may now be treated as closed,' he said, adding that 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 Ministry of Finance & 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,' Siddaramaiah posted on X. The episode comes amid simmering linguistic tensions in several states, including Karnataka and Maharashtra, where local language advocates have pushed back against what they see as Hindi imposition. They demand that people living in or moving to these states for work should make an effort to communicate in the regional language.
