Govt job aspirants’ protest flares up in Dharwad; Siddaramaiah blames BJP for vacancy backlog

Bengaluru/Dharwad: Protests by aspirants for govt jobs intensified in Dharwad Tuesday, with police taking several demonstrators into preventive custody as tensions escalated over delays in recruitment. Chief minister Siddaramaiah blamed the previous BJP govt for the backlog of vacancies, while the opposition accused his govt of failing to act on recruitment promises. Protesters said some 2.8 lakh posts are vacant across various departments, with fewer than 5,000 recruitments carried out in the past three years. But Siddaramaiah defended his govt's record saying when Congress assumed office in 2023, more than 2.6 lakh posts were already vacant.
"It is deeply unfortunate that BJP members are misleading innocent students to serve their narrow political interests," Siddaramaiah said, accusing the opposition of attempting to instigate unrest instead of encouraging aspirants to focus on preparation. He said recruitment irregularities and alleged corruption when BJP was at the helm between 2019 and 2023 eroded trust in the system and contributed to the backlog. He said several recruitment processes were stalled due to legal challenges related to internal reservation. "Despite these structural and legal constraints, our govt has moved with determination and integrity. In the past 2.5 years alone, more than 40,000 recruitments have been completed across departments," he said. He pointed out that his govt had relaxed the upper age limit by more than five years for upcoming recruitments to ensure candidates were not excluded due to delays. "I understand the anxiety, frustration, and uncertainty that many aspirants are experiencing," Siddaramaiah said, assuring that filling vacancies would be accelerated "in a transparent, systematic, and time-bound manner". In Dharwad, a large gathering of aspirants raised slogans and expressed anger over delays in recruitment. Police were deployed, and several protesters were detained after the demonstration reportedly went out of control. A protester said, "Until vacant posts are filled, protests will not stop." Another warned that students would lay siege to Vidhana Soudha if demands are not met, adding, "We don't want to create a situation like Nepal and Bangladesh, but the govt should consider our demands." Among those detained was R Kanthakumar, president, All Karnataka State Students' Association (AKSSA).BJP has extended support to the agitation with opposition leader R Ashoka saying, "It's been more than six months since the finance department issued orders to fill 65,000 posts, but not even a single interview call was given. This govt is anti-youth." Union minister HD Kumaraswamy of JD(S) said protests by unemployed youth should not be ignored and accused the govt of wasting "three precious years in power struggles". However, deputy CM DK Shivakumar hit back saying: "Why didn't BJP fill vacancies? It is we who are doing it. Realising that there is a problem related to employment, we are giving Rs 3,000 to unemployed youth (via Yuva Nidhi guarantee scheme). We have also called for applications to posts." He said details on filling posts had been shared with KPSC.