New Delhi: Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday hit out against the proposed New National Education Policy draft. Also Read - Karnataka Congress MLA Narayan Rao Succumbs to COVID-19

Taking to Twitter, Siddaramaiah slammed the blatant imposition of Hindi language on non-Hindi speaking states and in a series of tweets emphasised on regional identities. Also Read - 'Pubs Are Ruining Youngsters, Shut Them Down in All Districts', Demands Karnataka BJP Chief

“Ours is a land that exhibits Unity in Diversity. Peaceful coexistence is the need to establish harmony &any force shall work against the laws of society. For us Kannada is an identity, &learning any other language should be by Choice & not by imposition.” Also Read - Bengaluru Riots: No Evidence to Suggest Violence Was Communal in Nature, Says Report by Fact-finding Committee

New National Education Policy draft imposes Hindi in non Hindi states & this goes against our sentiments. If recognition of regional identity is inconsistent according to few then imposition of Hindi is nothing but a brutal assault on our States.#StopHindiImposition

2/3 — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) June 3, 2019

Instead of imposing Hindi, the government should focus on recognising regional identities & give more space to the states to express & manifest their ideas through their own culture & language. We are all Kannadigas in India.#StopHindiImposition

3/3 — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) June 3, 2019

The draft national education policy report of the K. Kasturirangan committee evoked a mixed response in Karnataka, with political leaders and experts favouring nationwide debate and consensus before “imposing” Hindi on the school children in non-Hindi speaking states as a third language.

With two-thirds of the people across most of the state familiar with Hindi for historical reasons, he said it is only in the southern region or the old Mysore region that the people would find it difficult to accept or learn Hindi as a third language due to lack of exposure to it.

“Barring Bengaluru, which is a cosmopolitan city with more people from other states, students in the old Mysore region have now the option of learning Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil or Telugu as the third language, as their parents hail from the neighbouring states where these languages are their mother tongue,” said Horatti who was earlier Primary and Middle Education Minister.

Allaying apprehensions of Hindi being imposed in non-Hindi speaking states, the BJP said there is no mention in the draft report on Hindi being imposed or made compulsory as the third language in the schools across the country.

With IANS inputs