A SEMINAR on the subject ‘Erosion of Rights of Linguistic States’ was held in Bengaluru on December 13. The Janashakthi, organ of the CPI(M) state committee, organised the seminar as part of ‘Janashakthi Utsav 2015’ where a special issue of the weekly, Rajyotsava, was also released. The website of the journal was also inaugurated. Theme of the special issue was ‘Karnataka 60: Dreams & Reality’. The seminar assumed significance in the background of the 60th anniversary of formation of states on linguistic basis. However, it is the Janashakthi which remembered the occasion in a befitting manner while all others including the Karnataka government, the so called pro-Kannada outfits as well as the writers of the state ignored the occasion. LANGUAGE KEY FACTOR FOR UNIFYING PEOPLE Janashakthi editorial board member G N Nagaraj exposed this hollowness in his introductory remarks. He dealt in length the genesis of formation of Karnataka on the basis of language as a unifying force. The pro-Kannada organisations rely on linguistic chauvinism and their target was people speaking other languages. They forget the basic idea that the condition of language and literature won’t be better unless the people’s living condition is improved, Nagaraj said. Former Kerala Minister for Education and Culture and CPI(M) Polit Bureau member M A Baby delivered the keynote address of the seminar. In his address, Baby said language and culture are the prominent factors that act as catalyst in unifying the people. Religion can’t play this role as was propagated by some sections, he said. Religious homogeneity won’t help in keeping people united, he said and added the birth of Bangladesh out of Pakistan is the glaring example of this. Formation of states with language as basis is most scientific. The idea was mooted during the freedom movement itself, he said and added Socialists and Communists supported the idea as it was more scientific one. Most scholarly works on the importance of language as unifying force and its importance in making the administration effective through the mother tongue were authored by Communist stalwarts such as E M S Namboodiripad, P Sundarayya, S A Dange and Harkishan Singh Surjeet, Baby noted. Carving out new states on the pretext of smaller states will help boost the administration is only a farce. There is no scientific basis for this. Political exigencies are the hidden agenda behind formation of newer states carving out of existing one, he said. Noting that formation of Telangana is the classic example of this, Baby said by doing this the Telugu language itself has been cut into pieces. However, he said, linguistic states alone are not the panacea for the problems of the people. Regional imbalance within the states, disparities among people, lack of education, employment opportunities and many such issues foment disenchantment among the people and the vested interests utilise this opportunity, he said. Referring to the Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Baby said it is the best example to show how the Centre intends to have its grip over the states. Baby warned about the possibilities of a US presidential form of government in India, without making any amendments to the Constitution. The style of administration by the Narendra Modi-led NDA government at the Centre has generated this apprehension, he said. NON-IMPLEMENTATION OF LAND REFORMS, IRRIGATION PROJECTS ROOT CAUSE OF UNDERDEVELOPMENT CPI(M) Karnataka state committee secretary and Janashakthi editor G V Shriram Reddy speaking on ‘Concept of Small States and Threats to Unity of Karnataka’ exposed how the vested interests are utilising the issue of backwardness in some parts of Karnataka for raising demand for separate state. Lack of land reforms and irrigation projects are the root cause of underdevelopment in the North-East Karnataka (erstwhile Hyderabad Karnataka) and North Karnataka (erstwhile Bombay Karnataka). The very same politicians and parties who were in power in different times that raise this demand were responsible for non-implementation of land reforms and irrigation projects, and hence the underdevelopment. How smaller states will solve this problem, asked Reddy. Experience of smaller states carved out in the country -- Jharkhand, Chattisgarh etc. -- indicate that underdevelopment persists. This problem can only be addressed by genuine democratic decentralisation of powers and resources up to district, taluk, panchayat level, Reddy said. Presiding over the seminar, Janashakthi editorial board member V J K Nair emphasised on the need to develop movements within the respective region and culture. Only then the movements could be strengthened, he said. The lack of social reforms movements in modern times could be one of the reasons for non-formation of movements, he said. Prof. S Chandrashekar earlier spoke about ‘Impact of Erosion on Language, Education, Administration and Development of Karnataka’. Nityanandaswamy, S Y Gurushanth and Vasantharaja – members of Janashakthi editorial board -- were present on the dias. The top two districts with highest overall sales of Janashakthi and highest increase in the November Sales Campaign were felicitated. Later an annual convention of Janashakthi writers, reporters, district distributors/agents, central editorial and circulation teams was held. The convention discussed status of editorial and circulation of the weekly and the plan to improve both in coming years.