Language issue, constitutional amendment only way, minister

Karnataka Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Ratnakar today said amendment by the Central government to the Constitution is the only way to get justice on the language policy issue.
"After the Supreme Court judgement, this issue can now get solved only constitutionally ... This decision implies to the whole country, to all the states," Ratnakar told reporters here.
Supreme Court had yesterday dismissed a petition filed by Karnataka government seeking a review of its verdict on the medium of instruction in primary schools.
Ratnakar said "... Mother tongue and state language are two different things. We have to keep it in mind that this issue has to get discussed nationally because in our country we have many languages."

"We have decided our state language on the basis of majority... Mother tongue here is a matter of interpretation ... Once there is a state language, a constitutional amendment has to be made to make it the language of instruction in the state," he said.
He said Karnataka Chief Minister had written to his counterparts of various states even before the judgement came calling for their attention on the issue and sought their support in building pressure on the Centre as this concerns the whole country.
He said Chief Minister will take a decision on how to go ahead on this matter and he was likely to call a meeting of pro-Kannada organisations, opposition, literary personalities and legal experts, adding, that this has to be even discussed in the cabinet and in the assembly.

Karnataka government had sought review of the May 6 decision of the Supreme Court in which it had held that the government cannot impose mother tongue on linguistic minority for imparting primary education.