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Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya has strongly criticized a State Bank of India (SBI) branch manager for allegedly refusing to communicate with customers in Kannada. Taking to social media, Surya called the manager's behaviour “simply not acceptable” and reiterated the importance of local language use in customer-facing roles, especially in essential sectors like banking.
“If you are doing customer interface work in Karnataka, it is important to communicate in the language people understand,” Surya stated in a tweet tagging SBI. He emphasized that such refusal shows insensitivity and a lack of respect for linguistic and cultural context.
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)
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
">May 21, 2025
Surya, who has consistently raised the issue in Parliament and committee meetings, reminded that the Department of Financial Services (DFS) has already issued an office notification mandating local language proficiency for staff in banking operations. He noted that during a recent Public Accounts Committee meeting, the DFS Secretary had assured him of steps to enforce this policy.
Expressing concern that the rule is not being properly implemented, Surya urged SBI to immediately act and ensure compliance. He added that he had spoken to authorities to take disciplinary action against the manager in question.
“Banks working in Karnataka should serve customers in Kannada. Period,” the MP asserted, underlining the broader call for linguistic accountability in public-facing institutions.
