Siddaramaiah and Tejasvi Surya respond as Bengaluru SBI manager says she ‘will never speak Kannada’ in viral video

The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) protested on Wednesday demanding SBI sack the manager for “disrespecting” Kannada-speaking customers and failing to offer services in the local language.

The SBI manager later posted online an apology video, in which she was also seen giggling.

Siddaramaiah criticised the SBI manager. “The behaviour of the SBI Branch Manager in Surya Nagara, Anekal Taluk, refusing to speak in Kannada & English and showing disregard to citizens, is strongly condemnable. We appreciate SBI’s swift action in transferring the official. The matter may now be treated as closed. However, such incidents must not recur. All bank employees must treat customers with dignity and make every effort to speak in the local language. I urge the @FinMinIndia & Dept of Financial Services to mandate cultural and language sensitisation training for all bank staff across India. Respecting the local language is respecting the people. #KannadaFirst.”

The behaviour of the SBI Branch Manager in Surya Nagara, Anekal Taluk refusing to speak in Kannada & English and showing disregard to citizens, is strongly condemnable.

We appreciate SBI’s swift action in transferring the official. The matter may now be treated as closed.…

— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) May 21, 2025

BJP MP Tejasvi Surya also echoed the Congress leader. “This behaviour by @TheOfficialSBI Branch Manager is simply not acceptable. If you are doing customer interface work in Karnataka, especially in a sector like banking, it is important to communicate to customers in the language they know. Being adamant like this is simply not right. I have time and again raised this issue of mandatorily posting local staff or staff who know the local language in banking operations, both inside and outside Parliament. Just a few weeks ago, at a Public Accounts Committee meeting, I had raised this issue to the DFS Secretary who assured me action will be taken to follow a office notification that makes this requirement of local language knowledge compulsory. Looks like this still isn’t being enforced properly. I urge the concerned at @TheOfficialSBI to immediately implement the DFS policy that mandates local language requirement. I have spoken to concerned authorities to take action against this manager who has behaved in this manner. Banks working in Karnataka should serve customers in Kannada. Period.”

This behaviour by @TheOfficialSBI Branch Manager is simply not acceptable.

If you are doing customer interface work in Karnataka, especially in a sector like banking , it is important to communicate to customers in the language they know. Being adamant like this is simply not… pic.twitter.com/VPB8i5eTvB

— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) May 21, 2025

For its part, SBI said in a statement, “We are deeply concerned about the recent incident at our Surya Nagar Branch of AO South Bengaluru. The matter is currently under thorough evaluation.”

The bank reiterated its zero-tolerance policy for behaviour that affects customer sentiment.

This is not the first time bank officials in Karnataka have insisted customers speak in Hindi.

In September 2024, when customers asked for a challan printed in Kannada, a bank manager claimed Hindi was the national language and said, “Speak Hindi and get your service done, or else leave.”

The challan was printed in English and Hindi.