Besides heavy rain and flooding, Bengaluru has hit the headlines for another reason. A Kannada row.

In a viral video, the branch manager of the State Bank of India's Surya Nagar branch in Anekal taluk can be seen arguing with a customer over the use of the local language.

To the customer's repeated insistence, the SBI official responded by saying, “I will not speak Kannada."

When the customer cited RBI guidelines requiring bank staff to communicate in the local language, the staffer reportedly retorted, “You have not given me employment.”

In the video, she can be seen storming off, saying, “I will never speak Kannada,” putting an end to the heated exchange.

SBI responded to the backlash with a public apology, expressing regret.

Government officials tagged, Siddaramaiah reacts

Several users tagged the SBI and Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah also condemned the issue and wrote, "I urge the @FinMinIndia & Dept of Financial Services to mandate cultural and language sensitisation training for all bank staff across India. Respecting local language is respecting the people. "

Social media divided, varied reactions pour in

As the video garnered attention, social media was flooded with mixed reactions on the issue.

One wrote, "It is not mandatory for her to know Kannada or any other local language, as officers are expected to serve anywhere in the country. Instead, these goons must be arrested for creating unnecessary chaos in the bank premises," implying the country’s diversity of cultures and languages.

Defending the customer’s demand for Kannada, one user wrote, "If she is working in Karnataka, she must learn the local language within six months. I think she has not read the full recruitment notification issued by SBI."

Another user shared a video showing the staffer smiling while apologising in Kannada, guided by a colleague. The caption read, "The arrogant SBI manager who was saying she will never speak Kannada now apologised. But look at her how she is giggling. @TheOfficialSBI she thinks this issue is a joke."

Taking a jab at the city’s persistent drainage problems, one user quipped, "If only Kannada language chauvinists were as passionate about fixing rain chaos as they are about making everyone speak Kannada - maybe the city wouldn’t be stuck every monsoon."

Amidst all this, the branch manager has been transferred.