Companies must prioritise Kannadigas during recruitment: Shivakumar

Bengaluru: Amid a growing controversy over Kannada organisation activists visiting IT companies and seeking details of the percentage of Kannadigas employed, Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Thursday appealed to multinational companies operating in Bengaluru to provide more employment opportunities to local youth and give priority to Kannadigas in recruitment.

Speaking after inaugurating a private multinational store in Bengaluru, Shivakumar urged the Swedish furniture retailer to encourage local industries and provide greater employment opportunities to Kannadigas.

"Small enterprises in Karnataka can manufacture quality furniture. Utilise and encourage them. Through this, give higher priority to Karnataka and provide more employment to Kannadigas in the organisation," he said.

"I have never attended the inauguration of any store so far. I do not usually even attend the inauguration of buildings started by my children. This is the first time I have come for a store inauguration," he remarked.

"We are inviting global investors to Karnataka and have created several opportunities here. We are in the southern part of Bengaluru. The company should give higher priority to Karnataka. Sweden has good relations with India and Karnataka. Provide more jobs to local Kannadigas. Our youth are talented and cultured and possess the marketing skills to attract customers," he said

The Chief Minister's appeal comes amid a month-long campaign launched by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), led by its state president T.A. Narayana Gowda, to visit more than 100 IT companies and technology parks in Bengaluru and seek details about the employment of Kannadigas.

The campaign, which began on November 1 on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava, follows social media videos and allegations that Kannada-speaking candidates are facing discrimination during campus recruitment and hiring processes in private companies.

As part of the campaign, KRV activists are visiting IT firms and submitting memorandums seeking information on the total number of employees, the percentage of Kannadigas in the workforce, recruitment criteria, recruitment trends over the past three years and local internship and training programmes.

The delegations have approached several companies in Mahadevapura and various executive centres. The organisation has claimed that its activists have so far visited around 300 IT-BT companies and collected employment-related details. It has decided to submit the information to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar in December.

Reacting strongly to criticism of the campaign, Narayana Gowda accused former business leader Mohandas Pai of attempting to undermine the movement through his social media comments on X.

"One man in the state is trying to subvert this movement. Mohandas Pai is provoking and taunting Kannadigas. He resembles Shakuni. If anyone tries to obstruct this movement, they will face a rebellion from the Vedike. He should remain quiet," he said.

Claiming that the organisation had been fighting for the cause for the past 27 years, Narayana Gowda said the campaign would continue despite opposition.

He said the Vedike had deployed 10 teams, each comprising 10 members, to visit companies and gather information. According to him, the teams were visiting around 10 companies every day.

Referring to the employment figures collected so far, he claimed that the representation of Kannadigas varied significantly across companies, ranging from 7 to 8 per cent and 20 to 25 per cent, while only three to four companies had around 40 per cent Kannadiga employees.

"There is no question of stopping this movement. I appeal to Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar not to come under pressure from IT companies. This is a question of the livelihood of Kannadiga youth," he said.

The campaign has triggered mixed reactions in Karnataka, with supporters arguing that local youth deserve a fair share of employment opportunities in the state's thriving IT sector, while concerns have also been raised over the manner in which companies are being approached, and employment-related information is being sought.

Pai had urged people to protect Karnataka's business climate and Bengaluru's position as a global technology hub, opposing what he termed hate-mongering over employment of Kannadigas. Citing Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data, he said Karnataka has an unemployment rate of 2.3 per cent and youth unemployment of 10.3 per cent.

He highlighted the state's 67,000-plus IT companies, 23,000 startups, 56 unicorns and over 27 lakh technology professionals. He said Karnataka's growth was the result of 35 years of collective efforts by successive governments and industry leaders. He urged people to work together to create quality jobs rather than damage investments and Bengaluru's future.

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