2 Karnataka districts mandate Urdu for anganwadi teachers, BJP lashes out

The Siddaramaiah-led Karnataka government in a recent notification mandated Urdu as a must-known language for candidates applying for the Anganwadi teachers post in Mudigere and Chikkamagaluru districts. This decision drew sharp criticism from the opposition BJP, which accused the Congress government of “Muslim appeasement.”
Former BJP MP Nalinkumar Kateel condemned the move, saying, “The announcement that one must know Urdu to get an Anganwadi teacher job is unacceptable. This is yet another attempt by the Congress to appease the Muslim community and restrict job opportunities. It’s a dangerous political strategy.”
The controversy stems from an official order from the Department of Women and Child Welfare, which requires applicants in Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru district, to be proficient in Urdu. The BJP took to social media platform X to criticise the government, stating, “The Karnataka government is imposing Urdu in Kannada-speaking regions. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar must explain why Urdu is being prioritised over Kannada, the state’s official language.”
In response to the uproar, the Mudigere Education Department has raised concerns over the notification. In a letter to the Deputy Director, the department noted that the local population includes various communities, with Muslims constituting 31.94%. According to the government notification, in areas where minority communities make up over 25 per cent of the population, workers proficient in the minority language, in addition to Kannada, should be hired. However, the emphasis on Urdu has been seen as sidelining Kannada-speaking candidates.
The letter also urged that Kannada proficiency be included as a mandatory qualification and that the job application process be made available in Kannada to prevent backlash from pro-Kannada groups.