Davanagere (Karnataka), March 31 (NationPress) - The Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has expressed strong disapproval of the Congress government's recent move to classify Hindi as a non-mandatory subject for passing in Class 10 board examinations. On Tuesday, they highlighted that former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi had been advocates for the promotion of Hindi.

R. Ashoka, a senior BJP leader and the Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka, made these remarks in Davanagere during a press briefing, where he also unveiled the party's manifesto for the Davanagere South Assembly constituency.

In discussing the three-language policy in Karnataka, LoP Ashoka questioned its origins, pointing out that Mahatma Gandhi was the President of the Hindi Prachar Sabha for three decades and that both Nehru and Indira Gandhi supported Hindi's promotion.

He commented, "Those who opposed the renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are now quiet when Hindi is declared non-compulsory."

He further suggested that the state government should have announced that Hindi would not be a compulsory subject at the start of the academic year rather than during exam time.

Earlier, Ashoka criticized the government's decision as detrimental to students' futures, asserting that it was politically motivated rather than an expression of love for Kannada.

He pointed out that the Karnataka Education Department had abruptly removed Hindi as a third language from schools across the state.

"This decision comes at a time when students are preparing for their examinations. Millions have studied Hindi as a subject, and this sudden change has caused significant issues," he remarked.

The Congress government defended this move as a strategy to alleviate academic stress for SSLC students, stating that the 'third language' in SSLC examinations will now utilize a grading system.

Karnataka's School Education and Literacy Minister, S. Madhu Bangarappa, explained, "Previously, 100 marks were allocated to the third language, but now it will not affect the pass or fail status. Instead, students will receive grades like A, B, C, or D."

This new policy will be applicable to all third languages in the curriculum, which includes Hindi, Sanskrit, Tulu, Marathi, and Arabic.

An official order regarding this change will be released soon.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has assured that the state government is not against children learning Hindi in schools throughout Karnataka.