Telugu Maha Sabha seminar commences amidst protests

Bellary, May 27 (UNI) Eminent speakers at the two-day Akhila Karnataka Prathama Telugu Maha Sabhalu today spoke about the strong bond that had developed between Kannada and Telugu over the years, even as pro-Kannada organisations protested against the event in front of the venue.

When the event commenced at the Basava Bhavana here, a few pro-Kannada Organisations staged a dharna in front of the venue.

The activists said no programme should be organised in Bellary without involving Kannadigas. The organising of Telugu programmes in Bellary would have an adverse impact on Kannada and its culture, they argued.

Inaugurating the seminar, Karnataka Tourism and Textiles Minister B Sreeramulu said Telugu and Kannada were two sides of the same coin. People of both the communities were living in harmony over the several years.

''The venom now being spread by a handful of people is not a healthy development,'' he said and appealed to the activists not to stage such protests in future as it would send wrong signals.

Speaking on the occasion, Former Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa High Courts N Y Hanumanthappa, MP, said languages could not divide people as the language was only a medium for expression.

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