The latest retort in the 'Hindi imposition' debate today comes from former Karnataka Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader Siddaramaiah, who hit out at BJP MP Tejasvi Surya regarding his stance on the demand to write the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) exams in the state in the Kannada language.

Siddaramaiah had on September 13 tweeted regarding a recent advertisement for the banking examination that said the next Common Recruitment Process for selection of personnel for clerical cadre posts will be held only in Hindi and English. The veteran Karnataka Congress leader took up this issue in his tweet, accusing the central government of ‘cheating’ the people of Karnataka and hinting that the move was a ‘conspiracy’ of the central government to prevent non-Hindi speaking people in the state from getting bank jobs. He said that the 'lack of knowledge' comes off as 'moral spinelessness'.

"Central govt has again cheated the ppl of Ktaka. They are taking the identity of Kannada for a ride. Does the promise of @nsitharaman & @tejasvi_Surya mean nothing? Their lack of knowledge & breach of trust is a spectacle for moral spinelessness & political ineptitude. #IBPSmosa," Siddaramaiah wrote in his tweet.

To this, Tejasvi had replied with a few points regarding the central government's promises of facilitating written examinations in Kannada for the Regional Rural Banks applications. "Smt @nsitharaman had promised to facilitate writing examination for Regional Rural Banks in Kannada. It will be the first time in independent India," wrote Tejasvi Surya. The MP from Bangalore South constituency also took a light dig at the veteran Congress leader by saying, "Notification for RRB is not yet announced. Please don't misguide people. Kannada is above petty politics. Let's work together."

Today, Siddaramaiah took it upon himself to hurl a fitting retort to Tejasvi's statements. The former Karnataka Chief Minister said that the people of Karnataka are not just applying for RRB exams. He pointed out that Tejasvi had avoided his remark on the IBPS examinations, for which the official notification states that it will be conducted only in Hindi and English. "Hope you understand the difference," said the Congress leader.

He, too, ended the tweet with a dig at Tejasvi and his party by saying, "A wise man once said, Ignorance is the root and stem of all evil."

Karanataka Congress has repeatedly taken up the issue of the exams not being conducted in the regional language, calling it a humiliation for the Kannadigas and a dishonour to Nirmala Sitharaman's promise in the parliament to conduct examinations in Kannada.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah's call to culturally unify India with Hindi as it's national language on Saturday triggered a row when some opposition leaders trained guns on him demanding to reconsider his appeal as it "poses a danger to the national unity". Ever since then, a controversy over language on the debate around 'Hindi imposition' has further lit the country up.