CM slams railways for cancelling exams over Kannada row

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday criticised the Railway Department for abruptly cancelling promotion examinations for railway employees after protests by Kannada organisations over the denial of an option to write the test in Kannada.

In a statement, Siddaramaiah said the examinations scheduled for promotion to 194 Goods Train Manager posts in the South Western Railway, and 101 Limited Departmental Competitive Examination (LDCE) posts in the Hubballi division were cancelled at the last moment following strong opposition from Kannadigas and Kannada organisations.

He said the sudden cancellation had left Kannada employees in a state of uncertainty.

According to the Chief Minister, thousands of Kannada-speaking railway employees had earlier objected to the denial of an opportunity to write the examination in Kannada. However, the Railway Department allegedly ignored peaceful protests and representations made by employees and organisations. Siddaramaiah said cancelling the examination just as it was about to begin had created confusion and placed Kannada employees in a difficult situation. He added that the situation could have been avoided if the Railway Department had recognised the issue earlier and allowed candidates to write the examination in Kannada. He said that if the department had corrected its mistake at the outset and permitted the exam in Kannada, the present situation would not have arisen. Instead, it ignored the concerns of Kannadigas and cancelled the examination hurriedly after protests intensified, which he described as condemnable.

Siddaramaiah also alleged that Kannada job aspirants have been facing discrimination in several examinations conducted by Central government departments due to what he described as the Centre’s policy of favouring Hindi. He said Kannadigas have repeatedly raised their voice against such practices and sought justice. The Chief Minister expressed disappointment that the issue had arisen even when V. Somanna from Karnataka is serving as the Minister of State for Railways.