The long-standing demand to recognise Tulu as Karnataka's second official language has once again taken centre stage, and the issue received significant attention at the Karnataka Cabinet meeting held in Mangaluru on September 18, 2026.
The demand for official recognition of Tulu has been a longstanding issue in the coastal Karnataka region, particularly in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Ahead of the Mangaluru Cabinet meeting, many public representatives, cultural organisations and Tulu-speaking groups had urged the state government to take a decision on the language.
But the latest reports do not at present provide an official government order confirming that Tulu has formally been declared Karnataka’s second official language. The Cabinet meeting was expected to consider the proposal and may make further recommendations.
Long-standing demand for Tulu recognition
Tulu has a strong linguistic and cultural presence in coastal Karnataka. The language is closely associated with the cultural traditions of the Tulunadu region and is widely used in everyday communication, literature, theatre, folk traditions and other cultural activities.
The demand for Tulu official language recognition has been raised for years. In January 2026, Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi had said that the government was looking at how other states had provided additional official language recognition and was considering the matter.
The issue received renewed attention earlier this month when the Karnataka government scheduled its first Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru. Tulu recognition was among the major expectations of coastal people in the lead-up to the meeting, said sources.
Mangaluru Cabinet Meeting
The September 18 Cabinet meeting in Mangaluru is significant because it is the first time the Karnataka Cabinet has held such a meeting in a coastal city. It was held at Praja Soudha in the Deputy Commissioner's office complex.
The Cabinet's agenda was coastal development proposals, according to the UNI report on September 18, with official recognition of Tulu being among the main cultural and political issues in mind, it said. The report said the proposal could consider recognising Tulu as Karnataka's second official language and forwarding it to the Centre.
The Tulu language issue received support from people of different political backgrounds, but individual leaders and organizations had different demands and different forms of recognition.
What official recognition could mean?
As an additional official language, recognition of Tulu as such could have implications for the use and promotion of Tulu in government communication and public administration, depending on the exact legal framework adopted by Karnataka.
Supporters of the demand have also called for more institutional support for Tulu literature, education, cultural programmes and language preservation.
There is also a separate demand for Tulu to be included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution - currently 22 languages. Inclusion in the Eighth Schedule is a matter of the Union government and Parliament and is distinct from recognition by a state government as an official language.
Government Decision Awaited
The Cabinet meeting has thus become an important milestone in the long-running debate about Tulu's official status. The proposal was, both before and during the meeting, widely known to be under consideration, but a formal government notification is required to establish the full status and scope of any decision.
The issue is of linguistic and cultural significance for coastal Karnataka people. A clear decision regarding Tulu will then be reached on how Tulu would be recognised administratively, which areas would be covered, and what should be done.
If the Karnataka government formally approves the proposal, administrative and legal procedures would determine how the new status is implemented.
For now, the focus is on the official Cabinet proceedings and any government order that may follow. Until such documentation is released, reports about Tulu becoming Karnataka's second official language should be treated as a developing story rather than a completed formal process.
