Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad laments over govt neglecting Telugu

Vijayawada: Former Deputy Speaker Mandali Buddha Prasad said that human society will not be able to survive if mother tongue is neglected.

He was addressing the World Telugu Writers Conference here on Friday. Buddha Prasad lamented over the governments intentionally destroying Telugu language.

He criticised the Telugu film industry for remaining silent though the State government took a decision against mother tongue. He pointed out that the filmmakers were making movies in Telugu language spending hundreds of crores and collecting thousands of crores of rupees.

He wondered as to why they were not reacting when the Telugu language was being neglected by the government. He wondered as to how the State government could take a decision ignoring Telugu medium in the curriculum.

"The mother tongue is not only a language, it is culture and way of life. People cannot achieve progress if mother tongue is neglected," he said. Unfortunately, the AP State government took a decision without Telugu medium in the school curriculum, he lamented.

He recalled that the State was established for Telugu speaking people. Reminding that Potti Sriramulu had sacrificed his life for creation of a separate State for Telugu speaking people, he said that if Telugu is neglected there would be no meaning for his sacrifice.

The UNESCO also identified the importance of mother tongue and recommended to the governments to continue primary education in mother tongue only, he stated.

Sahitya Academy president Chandrasekhar Kambara, lyric writer Jonnavittula Ramalingeswara Rao, M Bhupal Reddy, Sanjeeva Narasimha A, Siddhartha Academy president N Venkateswarlu, Dr KI Varaprasad Reddy, GV Purnachand and several writers were present.

They lauded the importance of mother tongue especially Telugu language and gave a call to the people to dedicate themselves to the development of Telugu language.