A day after vandalism incidents in Bengaluru, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah held a high-level meeting with the officials of Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the department of Kannada and Culture. The CM said that an ordinance will be passed where the commercial establishments will be directed to put name plates with 60% Kannada on it.

“I directed the officials of BBMP and culture department to pass an ordinance and implement the ‘60% Kannada’ rule on all name plates. Rules will be formed, and they will be notified to everyone,” the CM was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“It is important to prioritise the local language and highlight it in the name plates. Owners must change the name boards if they don’t have 60% Kannada on them by February 28. I assure safety of all businesses and need to panic,” he added.

Siddaramaiah also condemned the rampage created by Karnataka Rakhsana Vedike on Wednesday. “Nobody should take law and order into their own hands. We do not encourage any kind of vandalism in Bengaluru,” he said.

Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said that there is an act already to protect the local language. “There is already an act to protect Kannada language and culture. But we need an amendment to section 17, sub-section 6, wherein the percentage of language has to be decided, like the name boards etc. The 60:40 (Kannada to a secondary language) ratio will be brought in by an ordinance,” he said.