Bangalore: The Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) has withdrawn the invitation it had extended to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy for a discussion on the issue of introducing English as a subject from first standard.

Announcing this at a press conference here on Wednesday, KSP president Chandrashekhar Patil said the invitation made no sense in the light of the Chief Minister's "adamant stand" on the issue and repeated statements that were "prejudiced" and "not in keeping with the dignity of the office he holds". The KSP was holding a meeting on October 21 to decide the future course of action, which would be followed by an executive meeting on October 27.

The KSP's opposition to introduction of English was in keeping with its long-standing demand for a "uniform language policy" and not against any person or groups of people, Prof. Patil emphasised. The Government should keep its decision in abeyance until a petition pending before the High Court on the language issue was disposed of.

Taking sudden decisions, while the judgment was awaited within the next two months, might send wrong signals to the judiciary, he said. Once the judgment was pronounced, the Government should seek language experts' views on what was a suitable age to introduce a second language in primary education, he added.

The question of language learning should be addressed as a scientific and not as an emotional issue, Prof. Patil said. English should not be taught in a manner that left a child confused rather than empowered, he said.

Reacting to statements by Mr. Kumaraswamy in Hassan on Tuesday that he lacked confidence himself because he could not speak fluent English, Prof. Patil said it was no more than a reflection of a "weakness in his personality". His father and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, he recalled, had felt no such diffidence when he delivered a Hindi speech from the Red Fort.

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