Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the concerns raised by the Karnataka government over the decision to make Malayalam a compulsory first language in schools in the state are unfounded.

He clarified this in a reply letter sent to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

Vijayan pointed out that the law, passed by the state Assembly, contains no provisions that violate the constitutional rights of linguistic minorities.

There is no basis for the allegation that Malayalam is being imposed in Kannada-medium schools in Kerala.

"Although the law states that Malayalam will be the first language, children whose mother tongue is not Malayalam will be allowed to study Malayalam alongside their own language," a CMO release quoting the letter said here on Wednesday.

It said that in line with the National Curriculum Framework, students are free to choose the language they prefer.

The CM also explained in the letter that students coming from other states or from abroad are not required to take Malayalam examinations at the the SSLC or Higher Secondary levels.

Linguistic minorities are allowed to use Tamil and Kannada for correspondence with government offices.

The law also provides that replies to such communications must be given in the same languages, it said.

Love for one's mother tongue is not an obstacle to promoting other languages, the letter said.

The legislation was framed with an emphasis on strengthening cultural ties and cooperative federalism between Kerala and Karnataka, it said.

Vijayan stated in the letter that the Kerala government is fulfilling the Legislative Assembly's duty to protect the constitutional rights of the people.

In October last year, the Kerala Assembly passed the Malayalam Language Bill, which makes Malayalam the only official language of the state for government work, education and business.

The Bill has drawn opposition, particularly from the Karnataka government, which has raised concerns about Kannada-speaking people living in the border district of Kasaragod.

Siddaramaiah has strongly objected to the move, saying no language can be imposed on linguistic minorities by force.

"They may have passed a law, but it cannot be implemented in that manner. You cannot forcibly impose a language on linguistic minorities," he had said.