Latest news with #Tejasvi_Surya
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
‘Moving to Pune': Bengaluru entrepreneur Kaushik Mukherjee blames ‘language nonsense' for office shift after SBI Kannada row
A Bengaluru tech entrepreneur has announced plans to relocate his company's office to Pune within six months, citing employee concerns about recent language-related incidents in Karnataka. The move follows public debate after a viral video showed a bank manager refusing to speak Kannada in Bengaluru. Bengaluru tech founder cites employee concerns Kaushik Mukherjee , co-founder of a tech firm, posted on X that he had decided to move the office following discussions with his team. "Today I took a decision to wind up our Bangalore office in the next 6 months and move it to Pune. If this language nonsense is to continue, I do not want my non Kannada speaking staff to be the next 'victim'. This idea was mooted by the staff themselves. I agreed to their POV," he wrote. — kush07 (@kush07) Mukherjee's post was a direct response to a viral video of a State Bank of India (SBI) manager in Chandapura, Bengaluru, who refused to speak Kannada to a customer. In the video, the manager says, "This is India, I'll speak Hindi, not Kannada." The incident sparked criticism across the state. Political leaders react to SBI incident Bengaluru South Member of Parliament Tejasvi Surya shared the video on X, writing, "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." He also said that he has consistently demanded that public-facing roles in Karnataka be staffed with Kannada-speaking employees. — Tejasvi_Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident. He called the manager's conduct "strongly condemnable" and urged the Union Finance Ministry to introduce cultural and language sensitivity training for bank staff across the country. Live Events SBI responds to backlash Following the backlash, the bank transferred the manager to another branch. Both the bank and the manager issued apologies. The manager also released a statement in Kannada, promising to be more sensitive to customers in the future. Language debate in public services The Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has expressed concern over the growing number of non-Kannadigas posted in customer-facing roles in banks. According to the KDA, this trend is leading to a disconnect between local citizens and essential services. Under Reserve Bank of India guidelines, banks must offer services in English, Hindi, and the regional language. Despite this, incidents like the one in Bengaluru have reignited debates over language use in public-facing institutions in Karnataka.
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
‘Don't dub Kannada movies in Hindi, don't release them pan-India': Sonu Nigam tells BJP MP Tejasvi Surya days after Bengaluru language row
Days after Sonu Nigam was heckled at a concert in Karnataka after he was allegedly asked to perform in Kannada, the singer has now spoken up against BJP MP Tejasvi Surya. On Wednesday, the MP shared a video on X where an employee of a public sector bank, speaking English, and a local customer, speaking Kannada, can be seen arguing. He said that the bank employee's behaviour was 'simply not acceptable' and demanded that bank employees who have to deal with local customers must know the local language. Sonu raised an objection to this and instantly brought up all the international businesses that operate out of Bengaluru. He also said that if the language rules were so strict, Kannada films should not be dubbed in Hindi, and they shouldn't be released across the country. 'Don't dub Kannada movies in Hindi! Don't release Kannada movies pan-India! Do you have the guts to say this to Kannada film stars, Mr. @Tejasvi_Surya, or you are just another language warrior?' Sonu wrote on X questioning Tejasvi's intentions. 'Kannada should also be made mandatory in software companies. If American clients conduct business in Karnataka, they should also speak in Kannada. There should be no compromise on this. Alright @Tejasvi_Surya ji? Period,' Sonu wrote in Hindi on X. He then posted another tweet where he questioned if Tejasvi Surya would be able to speak in Bhojpuri, Maithili, and other regional languages during Bihar elections. He accused him of 'trying to divide the country on the basis of linguistic and regional differences.' In another tweet, he called him a 'disease' and wrote, 'A national party like BJP has made @Tejasvi_Surya an MP for the second time, but the spirit of nationalism could not become strong within him. People who hold cheap thoughts like linguism, regionalism, and casteism are like a disease. Whether it's Tejasvi from Bihar or Karnataka, both are behaving with the same foolishness.' A post shared by Sonu Nigam (@sonunigamofficial) Earlier this month, Sonu was performing at a concert in Bengaluru when a student started shouting 'Kannada, Kannada' at him, as if he was demanding that the singer sing in the local language. Sonu did not appreciate this behaviour, and said, 'This is the reason behind the incident in Pahalgam. Please see who is standing before you. I love you guys.' He later shared a note on social media that said, 'I told them very politely and lovingly the show has just started, it's my first song and that I will not let them down, but they have to let me continue with the concert the way I have planned. Every artiste has a song list prepared so the musicians and technicians are in sync. But they were hell bent on creating ruckus and threatening me wildly. Tell me who is at fault?'
