The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KaRaVe) announced a month-long campaign from November 1 to assess if there is any discrimination against Kannadigas in the state’s private sector.
A pro-Kannada organisation on Thursday announced a month-long campaign from November 1 to protect the employment rights of Kannadigas, days after Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar warned of action against private institutions found to be deliberately sidelining locals in job opportunities.
The campaign by the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KaRaVe), coinciding with Karnataka State Formation Day, will involve visits to IT and biotechnology companies across the state to gather data on employment opportunities for Kannadigas and demand fair recruitment practices for local candidates.
In a statement, KaRaVe said Kannadigas were not receiving adequate employment opportunities in IT and BT companies operating in Karnataka. It highlighted complaints from local IT professionals about difficulties in securing jobs, alleged discrimination during recruitment and unfair treatment of candidates from the state.
“Kannadiga IT professionals are openly voicing their grievances regarding job-related hardships, discrimination in recruitment, and the injustices faced by local candidates. We had anticipated such a situation. Unchecked migration has created a scenario where Kannadigas themselves are left in a precarious position,” the outfit said.
As part of the campaign, KaRaVe will constitute several teams, each comprising 10 leaders and activists. These teams will visit IT and BT companies across Karnataka and meet company heads, human resources (HR) officials and other relevant authorities.
The teams will submit formal memorandums to company managements, demanding the creation of employment opportunities for Kannadigas and seeking clarity on the recruitment practices followed by the companies.
“Kannadiga job seekers are talented professionals capable of excelling in sectors such as IT and BT. They deserve employment opportunities commensurate with their talent. There must be transparency in the recruitment process, and care must be taken to ensure that local candidates are not treated unfairly,” they said in a statement.
According to the organisation, the campaign’s primary objective is to conduct a comprehensive assessment of complaints regarding the lack of employment opportunities for Kannadigas in the IT and BT sectors.
KaRaVe added it intends to seek answers on the current proportion of Kannadigas employed by these companies, the criteria followed while recruiting local candidates and the reasons qualified Kannadigas are allegedly being denied job opportunities.
It will also examine complaints of discrimination against local candidates during the recruitment process.
In addition to gathering information from company managements, the teams will collect grievances from Kannadiga employees and job seekers. The organisation said this exercise would help establish the nature and extent of the problem and identify possible solutions based on concrete information.
“Companies operating in Karnataka, benefiting from the state’s land, water, electricity, roads, infrastructure, public resources, and the government’s liberal policies, must also address the employment aspirations of the local people. We will not tolerate any injustice regarding the provision of jobs to Kannadigas,” the organisation further argued.
The proposed campaign comes days after Chief Minister Shivakumar said the state government would take appropriate action if private institutions were found to be deliberately sidelining Kannadigas in employment opportunities.
In a post on X on October 25, Shivakumar said the government had taken seriously complaints that native Kannada speakers were being overlooked for jobs in Bengaluru’s IT companies.