Mysore/Mysuru: Rajya Sabha Congress MP Dr. L. Hanumanthaiah has appealed the Union Government to grant autonomy status to Kannada language, which has been declared as a classical language.

Speaking at the Rajya Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament recently, Dr. Hanumanthaiah said that the Karnataka Government, littérateurs, Kannada activists and a host of Kannada Associations have been pressing the Centre to grant autonomy status to Kannada ever since the language was accorded the classical status in 2008. But the Centre has proposed to convert the Central Institute of Indian Languages (CIIL) at Mysuru and Indian Translation and Interpretation Centre into Bharatiya Bhasha Vishwavidyalaya (BBV), he said.

Maintaining that the Centre has constituted a Committee headed by N. Gopalaswamy on bringing all classical language Institutions under BBV, Dr. Hanumantaiah alleged that the Centre, instead of granting autonomy to Kannada classical language, has been attempting to bring all classical language Institutes  under BBV.

Contending that the work on development of languages which have been accorded classical status will not be complete unless granted autonomy, he cited an example where Tamil is doing exceptionally well after it was granted autonomy along with classical status. 

Claiming that except for Tamil, the Centre did not accord autonomy while granting classical status to other languages, he said that the Government must come up with an answer on why autonomy had evaded Kannada. Dr. Hanumathaiah urged the Centre to take immediate measures for granting autonomous status for Kannada, which is vital for development and promotion of the language.