HASSAN: "Being the Chief Minister, I am suffering from an inferiority complex while speaking in English, as I studied in a rural Kannada-medium school. Children from rural area should not suffer from this complex in future, because of denial of opportunity for them to learn English," said Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy here on Tuesday.

Mr. Kumaraswamy was reacting to the controversy over the recent decision of the Government to introduce English from I standard.

The Chief Minister told presspersons that the State Government was firm in its decision and there would be no change in its stand, despite mounting opposition from a few quarters. About the credentials of those opposing the Government's decision, he said that it was necessary to ascertain the background of the "leaders" who opposed the stand as some of them sent their children to English-medium schools.

"It is a conspiracy by a certain section of the society to force rural children to remain backward forever and Government rolling back its decision will affect the rural people in the days to come," he said. He said the decision was not an attempt to please any particular section and steps would be taken to appoint trained teachers to teach English.

To a question on the discontentment brewing in Kannada film industry in view of the release of non-Kannada films, Mr. Kumaraswamy, a producer himself, said he was prepared for a discussion with the industry. It would be difficult for the Government to drag people to cinema halls by enacting a law, he said.

About the delay in building a memorial for Rajkumar, he said that the Government had great regards for the thespian and would build memorial in a befitting manner.

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