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Thiruvananthapuram
A Kannada poster of the Left Front in Kasargod. Which way will the votes of the Kannada minority in the Kasargod Parliament constituency go? This question has been debated in every election because the Kannada-speaking population accounts for nearly 35 per cent of the population in this constituency, with a predominant presence in four Assembly segments — Manjeswaram, Kasargod, Uduma and parts of Hosdurg. There is a major change in the script this time around, with mainstream political parties making an all-out effort to bring them under their sway. And the Communist Party of India (Marxist) appears to have made considerable headway in this direction. The Bharatiya Janata Party draws its energy in Manjeswaram and Kasargod from the Kannada-speaking minority. The party has been coming second in these two Assembly segments in the last few elections, the closest it has got in fulfilling its ambition of ending its electoral drought in Kerala. The CPI(M) has been going the extra mile to prevent the BJP from securing a foothold. The Indian Union Muslim League has a predominant presence in Manjeswaram and Kasargod, while the Congress has been struggling to maintain its profile in the district. The linguistic minority issue manifests itself in a different way here. Kannada-speakers are not as integrated as the Tamil population, in terms of both social and political culture. There is little similarity between Kannada and Malayalam; this segment of the population looks towards Mangalore for all its needs, whether it is trade, education or health services. The Karnataka Samithi, which has been fighting for the merger of Kasargod with Karnataka, is active among the Kannada groups. Even though the Samithi has not given up its merger demand and is still hopeful of a favourable Supreme Court verdict on the Mahajan Commission report on the merger, it is resigned to accepting the fact that the Kannada community would have to coexist in Kasargod. But the community has several grievances. According to P.M. Ballaku Raya, the young president of Karnataka Samithi, the State government does not observe the mandatory requirement of using Kannada in official communications. Government forms printed in Kannada are not available as a result of which large sections of the linguistic minority remain outside the various development schemes. Till the late 1980s, the Congress had deep roots among this population. But the Kannada-speaking minority has since then shifted its political loyalty to the BJP. The BJP won four Assembly segments in Dakshina Kannada district in the last election in Karnataka. This factor is bound to have an impact on the Kannada population here, says B. Subbaya Rai, Kasargod DCC secretary. Unless the Congress comes up with a strategy, these sections would be lost, he says. Mr. Raya admits that the Karnataka Samithi has not been able to politically secure more elbow room for the Kannada-speaking population. The community bonding is stronger than linguistic bonds, he said when asked whether the Samithi had taken any steps to get their members enrolled as voters to secure greater bargaining power. This is where the CPI(M)’s strategy becomes clear. The party is now addressing the various communities that make up the linguistic minorities. The LDF government has established a Tulu Academy to promote Tulu language. It has also sanctioned the Yakshagana Academy to promote the unique folk art form of Kasargod. Another initiative is to develop the memorial in the name of the revered Kannada poet, Rashtrakavi Govinda Pai.
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