BENGALURU:
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has said the State government will take appropriate action if private institutions are found to be deliberately denying employment opportunities to Kannadigas.
The issue came to the fore after complaints surfaced on social media alleging that some information technology companies in Bengaluru were overlooking candidates whose mother tongue was Kannada. A woman who shared a video appealed to the Chief Minister to intervene, claiming that local candidates were losing job opportunities.
Shivakumar said the government had taken the complaints seriously and would not allow the rights, dignity and employment opportunities of Kannadigas to be disregarded. He also expressed pride in Bengaluru’s position as a global technology hub and in the skills and capabilities of people from Karnataka.
The allegations have triggered a debate over recruitment practices in the private sector, particularly in Bengaluru’s IT industry, which employs professionals from across the country. However, the claims against individual companies have not been independently established, and the government has not identified any firm against which action is being considered.
The issue also revives the debate over local employment preferences. In 2024, the Karnataka Cabinet approved a Bill proposing reservations for Kannadigas in private-sector jobs, including 70 per cent in non-management positions and 50 per cent in management positions. The latest statement signals the government’s willingness to examine complaints of deliberate discrimination against local candidates.