Published Sep 18, 2026 | 1:00 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 18, 2026 | 1:00 PM
According to the 2011 Census, around 1.85 million people speak Tulu.
Synopsis: The Karnataka government is considering a long-standing demand to recognise Tulu as an additional official language. The proposal raises questions about linguistic identity, its relationship with Kannada, and the political stakes for the Congress and BJP in coastal Karnataka.
The Congress-led government in Karnataka is actively considering the long-standing demand to recognise Tulu as an additional official language of the state.
Tulu is a major South Indian Dravidian language, alongside Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. According to the 2011 Census, around 1.85 million people speak it. Tulu speakers are concentrated largely in the coastal Karnataka districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Collectively, part of the Tulu-speaking region is known as Tulunadu. Tulu is spoken in the parts of Keralam’s Kasaragod district, bordering Karnataka,
Tulu organisations such as Jai Tulunad and the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy, along with political leaders including Puttur Congress MLA Ashok Kumar Rai and Dakshina Kannada BJP MP Brijesh Chowta, have long backed demands for greater recognition of Tulu, including official-language status in Karnataka. They also demanded the inclusion of Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, which currently recognises 22 languages.
The move has also raised questions over its political significance, particularly whether the Congress hopes the issue will help it expand its presence in coastal Karnataka, a region often considered BJP’s stronghold.
In the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, the Congress won only two of the 13 Assembly constituencies across Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. The BJP won the remaining 11—all five seats in Udupi and six of the eight seats in Dakshina Kannada.
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The Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy was established during Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily’s tenure in 1994, marking an early institutional step toward promoting the language.
Tulu script.
Since then, the proposal to recognise Tulu as an additional official language has passed through a series of committees examining its historical case and administrative feasibility, according to GVS Sudhakar Shetty, a member of the Gayatri Committee.
The first was during Arvind Limbavali’s tenure as the Minister for Kannada and Culture. Officials from the Kannada and Culture Department and representatives of the Karnataka Tulu Sahitya Academy met in August 2021 to discuss the need to recognise Tulu officially.
The key issue was the distinction between making Tulu a “second official language” and recognising it as an “additional official language” for specified administrative purposes, without displacing Kannada’s status.
The meeting also examined the constitutional route for recognition, particularly Article 345, which allows a State Legislature to adopt one or more languages for all or any of the state’s official purposes.
A subsequent committee headed by Mohan Alva (Mohan Alva Committee) submitted its report in February 2023. The report documented Tulu’s history and culture, the population, Tuluvas’ achievements and contributions, and the historical relationship between Tulu and Kannada.
Shetty claimed the proposal saw little progress afterwards. “After that, there was no progress,” he said.
After the Congress came to power in June 2023, Shetty said Puttur MLA Rai and Assembly Speaker UT Khader took up the issue. The government subsequently sought information from Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar on how they had implemented additional official languages.
As part of the exercise, a seven-member delegation under a committee headed by Kannada and Culture Department Director KM Gayathri visited Andhra Pradesh in January 2026 to study its framework for Urdu as an additional official language. The delegation examined the legal and administrative framework and its implementation in the state. Shetty was part of the delegation.
Shetty said the proposal underwent scrutiny by the Law, Kannada and Culture and Finance departments. If approved, he estimated that implementing the decision through departmental orders and other administrative changes could take another two years.
Shetty said the delay stemmed from limited follow-up on earlier reports and prolonged scrutiny across government departments. A lack of response from other states further slowed the process, eventually prompting an official delegation to study Andhra Pradesh’s model.
On the political timing of the move, Shetty rejected the suggestion that it was mainly for electoral benefits. He pointed to the Congress’s earlier promise on Tulu. “Whether it benefits them politically or not, I don’t know, but for Tuluvas, this is a historic moment,” he said, adding that the demand for state official-language recognition had been pursued for around 12 to 13 years.
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Founded in 2014, Jai Tulunad is one of the main organisations focused on reviving the Tulu language, its culture, and identity at the grassroots level. It currently has around 4,000 members statewide.
Sharath K, a founding member of Jai Tulunad, said official status in Karnataka is only the first step in a larger campaign to recognise the language.
He described the recognition of Tulu as a long-standing movement rather than a demand that emerged under the present Congress government.
The organisation’s main demands were official recognition of Tulu in Karnataka and eventually in Kerala; inclusion of Tulu in the Eighth Schedule; promotion and digital recognition of the Tulu script; Tulu as a subject in schools in Tulu-speaking regions; and greater use of Tulu in administration, examinations and employment.
He rejected suggestions that Tulu organisations and Kannada groups were at loggerheads, citing the slogan, “Kannada ulisi, Tulu belesi” (Preserve Kannada, develop Tulu).
“We are not against any language. Our language, our identity is our pride,” he said, arguing that recognising Tulu as an additional official language would complement Karnataka’s linguistic diversity and heritage.
On friction with pro-Kannada organisations, he said there was no outright conflict, though some had reservations over another official language when “Kannada is Sarvabhouma”.
“There is no conflict with Kannada. Kannada will be there. This is an additional official language,” he said, adding that the status would allow Tulu to be used for routine communication with government institutions.
He said members of Jai Tulunad had met Chief Minister DK Shivakumar a week ago, and travelled to Mangaluru ahead of the 18 September Cabinet meeting. He expressed optimism about getting a favourable Cabinet decision.
“We had hopes the last two times, but it didn’t happen. This time we are quite confident,” he said.
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According to political analyst Harisha R, the BJP has been more successful in consolidating support around Hindu identity in coastal Karnataka due to historical reasons. At the same time, the Congress struggled to make similar political inroads amid the region’s religious polarisation.
Against this backdrop, he viewed Tulu’s recognition as an official language as an opportunity for the Congress to expand its electoral base in the region.
“Congress did not have any instrument to fight the differentiation between the two which the BJP had exploited,” he said, adding that the Congress government has now started promoting Tulu language, cinema and local culture which, he said, could help the party “win votes in the region ”.
However, he added that there was no outright conflict between Tulu-speaking groups and Kannada organisations or amongst the population.
Harisha said that recognition of Tulu identity would not necessarily act as a counterweight to Hindutva.
“Tulu identity along with Hindutva is much stronger,” he said, arguing that the two identities can coexist politically. While the Congress may seek to foreground Tulu primarily as a cultural identity, he said. It does not necessarily weaken the appeal of Hindutva in the region.
Arun Javagal, state organising secretary of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, said Kannada groups support recognising Tulu as an additional official language and its eventual inclusion in the Eighth Schedule.
“Kannada and Tulu are both our languages, and Tulu has got a very rich history. We do not oppose the government’s move, and we support the demand,” he said. “It is better to learn and promote our South Indian languages rather than have other languages imposed on us.”
He added that the organisation did not see greater official recognition for Tulu as a threat to Kannada.
Acknowledging the political significance of the move, Akashraj Jain, a member of the Tulu Karnataka Sahitya Academy, said that the Congress could benefit from delivering on a demand that remained unresolved.
He said Tulu recognition had become a stronger regional sentiment, and some supporters were disappointed that the BJP could not resolve their demands despite its strong presence in the region.
“When the BJP had a good opportunity, it missed the bus, whereas Congress have a good opportunity now. If the Congress keeps its promise, a certain percentage of the voters may go with it,” he said.
Jain also said Shivakumar was liked by sections of people in the region, who, in his assessment, viewed him as less partisan.
However, he distinguished Lok Sabha and Assembly elections.
“It may not affect the Lok Sabha election. Tuluvas mostly vote for the BJP in Parliament elections. But in state elections, there might be a difference,” he said, suggesting Tulu recognition could influence a section of voters towards the Congress party.
While the political impact of recognising Tulu remains uncertain, the demand has brought renewed focus on Tulu language and regional identity in coastal Karnataka. For Tulu organisations, however, the issue goes beyond electoral politics. They view the official-language status as one step forward in a longer campaign for greater recognition of the language.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
