Kannada activists protest demanding jobs for locals in Bengaluru IT parks

Pro-Kannada activists have begun visiting various companies to secure more employment opportunities for Kannadigas in IT parks and private companies operating in Bengaluru. The agitation is being undertaken by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), with the primary objective of ensuring a higher proportion of local candidates in private institutions.

Under the leadership of KRV State President T.A. Narayana Gowda, the organisation announced a state-wide campaign running for one month from 1 November. This campaign has been launched on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava. Under this campaign, several teams of KRV workers have spread across Bengaluru and other parts of the state to visit IT companies and submit memorandums to their management, demanding fair employment opportunities for Kannadigas.

Despite Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar's appeal to pro-Kannada organisations not to visit companies directly, this campaign continues. Chief Minister Shivakumar stated, "I appeal to all organisations not to visit IT-BT companies directly or take matters into their own hands. Such issues should be resolved through dialogue and within the legal framework. Our government is firmly committed to protecting the rights and interests of Kannadigas."

However, KRV teams are continuing to visit private institutions. They are seeking responses from companies regarding allegations that deserving local candidates are not getting sufficient employment opportunities. On Monday, several delegations visited IT organisations in Bengaluru.

A team led by KRV State Vice President Abbigere Vinoda visited Executive Centre India Limited located in Safina Tower on Ali Askar Road and submitted a memorandum there. This delegation included Shivajinagar constituency president Syed Tanzeer, Pulakeshinagar unit president Mohammed Ali, and other members.

Another team, led by District Unit President T.A. Dharmaraj Gowda, visited Quality Evaluations on Magadi Road and also submitted a memorandum there. Additionally, a team led by KRV State Vice President Veerabhadra visited Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) located at B. Narayanapura in K.R. Puram and submitted a memorandum there. This delegation included K.R. Puram constituency president Manjunath and other office bearers.

Earlier, a KRV delegation also visited Bagmane Tech Park located in C.V. Raman Nagar, where a representative of the tech park accepted the memorandum on behalf of the IT organisations. This delegation stated that the representative gave a positive response to their demands.

Through these memorandums, the organisation has sought details regarding the total number of employees working in these companies and the proportion of employees coming from Karnataka. Additionally, details regarding recruitment data for the last 3 years, recruitment criteria, and steps taken to provide opportunities to deserving local candidates have also been sought.

KRV has further demanded that companies should address allegations of purported discrimination in recruitment and expand skill development programmes, training, and internship opportunities for the youth of Karnataka. The organisation believes that companies operating in Karnataka, which are benefiting from the state's infrastructure, resources, and human capital, must also respond to the employment aspirations of the local people.

KRV has clarified that the purpose of this campaign is not to target individual companies, but to collect information and redress grievances. The organisation has indicated that the information and complaints collected during this one-month study will be presented to the concerned companies and the state government. As this campaign continues despite the Chief Minister's appeal for restraint, the issue of local employment in Karnataka's IT sector has once again come into focus.