Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday urged people to take pride in speaking their mother tongue and said it is the responsibility of every Kannadiga to protect the Kannada language, land and water.

He noted that people living in Karnataka should learn Kannada and stressed the need to create a "Kannada atmosphere" in the state.

Speaking after performing 'bhoomi puja' for the construction of a 25-feet-tall bronze statue of Nada Devi Bhuvaneshwari on the premises of Vidhana Soudha here, the CM said speaking our mother tongue should be a matter of pride.

"A vow must be made that no language other than Kannada is spoken in the state. Kannadigas are generous. That is why there is an environment in Karnataka where even those who speak other languages can live without learning Kannada. The same situation cannot be seen in Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Kerala. They speak only in their mother tongue," he pointed out.

Calling on Kannadigas to speak in their mother tongue, Siddaramaiah said there is no need to feel inferior about it.

"We also have to speak in our mother tongue. That should make us proud..." he added.

Asking people living in Karnataka to learn Kannada, the CM said, "It is the duty of all of us to create a Kannada atmosphere. For that, all the people living here should learn Kannada. We cannot remain silent like that. Kannadigas are not insolents. But love for Kannada should be developed." "We should not become like the bigots in other states. But we should develop respect and admiration for our language, land and country," he said.

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