Language row erupts as SBI manager refuses to speak Kannada

AFTER a hotel in Koramangala ran an abusive message against Kannadigas on its electronic board recently, a bank manager refusing to speak in Kannada has gone viral and sparked a language row.

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Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, condemning the incident, urged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, whose department manages banks, to mandate cultural and language sensitisation training for all bank staff across the country.

Priyanka Singh, the branch manager of SBI's Surya City branch in Chandapura of Anekal taluk, on the outskirts of the city, refused to speak in Kannada with a customer. The video was recorded by the customer, who insists that "this is Karnataka" and Kannada should be given priority. That triggers a heated exchange and Singh tells him that she will never speak in Kannada. After the video went viral, Singh was transferred.