In a blistering critique from New Delhi, Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday spotlighted Karnataka’s alarming job vacancy crisis, with 2.94 lakh government posts lying vacant. His remarks come amid escalating youth protests, underscoring a deepening governance failure.
The Dharwad protests, where thousands of job seekers took to the streets, exemplify the frustration boiling over. Kumaraswamy emphasized that such unrest stems directly from the Siddaramaiah government’s inaction on recruitment.
Extending solidarity to the agitators, he called for non-violent demonstrations and vowed to champion their cause. Shockingly, he noted, high-profile cabinet positions get rushed fillings, while grassroots roles remain ignored—a clear misprioritization by the Congress administration.
Drawing from official reports, the minister disclosed 7 lakh registered unemployed youth eyeing state jobs. Instead of phased hirings, the regime wasted years on infighting, sidelining critical employment needs.
‘Picture unemployment as a persistent volcano,’ Kumaraswamy metaphorically cautioned. He detailed severe shortages in education, healthcare, and law enforcement, including inspector-less stations in Bengaluru, blamed on manipulative transfers.
These gaps are eroding public service delivery, he argued, pressing for urgent budgetary commitments to kickstart hirings. Finally, Kumaraswamy urged leaders to step out of their air-conditioned offices in Vidhana Soudha and listen—or face electoral backlash from alienated youth.