Bengaluru: Pro-Kannada organisation Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) on Monday, November 2, launched a campaign demanding more job opportunities for Kannadigas in the state's IT companies. As part of the campaign, KRV members met with representatives of at least 22 IT companies on Monday and demanded transparency in their hiring processes and that they prevent discrimination against local Kannadiga candidates.
The visits were part of Agraha Abhiyana, a month-long statewide campaign launched by the pro-Kannada organisation on November 1, coinciding with Kannada Rajyotsava. KRV plans to approach private establishments across Karnataka to collect employment-related information and submit a report to the state government.
A delegation visited Bagmane Tech Park in CV Raman Nagar, where a representative received the memorandum on behalf of the companies. Other teams approached establishments including Executive Centre India, Quality Evaluations and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).
KRV state president TA Narayana Gowda said the campaign was intended to investigate complaints that qualified candidates from Karnataka were being overlooked during recruitment.
The organisation has sought details of companies' total workforce, the proportion of Kannadigas employed, and the number of local candidates recruited over the past three years. It has also asked for information on recruitment criteria, complaints of alleged discrimination, and initiatives offering skill development, training, internships and employment opportunities to young people from Karnataka.
According to Gowda, teams have been instructed to approach company representatives respectfully and avoid confrontations with management or security personnel. He said companies could provide the requested information over the following four to five days.
KRV has maintained that the exercise is intended to gather information rather than target individual companies. The organisation plans to compile the responses and grievances received during the campaign and submit them to the state government.
The visits took place despite Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar's appeal to Kannada organisations not to approach IT and biotechnology companies directly over employment-related complaints.
Shivakumar had urged organisations to bring grievances to the government instead of taking matters into their own hands. The CM warned against attacks on companies and moral policing, saying the government and police would address complaints in accordance with the law.
The government has said it will examine allegations that Kannadiga candidates are being discriminated against during recruitment and take appropriate action if violations are established.
The controversy follows claims circulating on social media that some companies are overlooking local candidates in favour of applicants from other states. One widely shared video featured a woman alleging that Kannada-speaking candidates were being disadvantaged during campus recruitment. These allegations have not independently established the extent of discrimination across the IT sector.
KRV's campaign is expected to continue throughout November and extend beyond the technology sector to other private establishments in Karnataka.
The organisation has said the information gathered will help assess the employment opportunities available to Kannadigas and inform its next course of action.