Pro-Kannada activists have intensified their campaign for more employment opportunities for locals by visiting IT companies and technology parks in Bengaluru.
The Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) is pushing private establishments to give Kannadigas a better representation in their workforce and bring transparency in recruitment practices.
Activists have once again revived debate on local employment in Karnataka’s booming technology sector as they ask companies how many people from the state are being hired.
The month-long Agraha Abhiyana (movement) was launched on November 1 to coincide with Kannada Rajyotsava. KRV state president T.A. Narayana Gowda is spearheading the campaign under which several teams have been visiting IT, biotechnology and other private establishments in Karnataka.
The teams are submitting memorandums to managements of companies seeking information about employee representation, recruitment policies and opportunities given to qualified candidates from the state.
Reports said KRV representatives visited more than 100 technology companies across Bengaluru on November 2 and submitted representations and sought employment related information.
Several business establishments in Bengaluru have reportedly been targeted as part of the campaign. KRV delegations went to Bagmane Tech Park in C.V Raman Nagar, Executive Centre India Limited at Safina Tower on Ali Asker Road, Quality Evaluations on Magadi Road and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) at B. Narayanapura in K.R Puram.
The organisation handed over memorandums to officials of company asking them to share requested information with it. KRV said a representative from Bagmane Tech Park received their memorandum and responded positively to demands.
One demand is that companies should disclose the total number of employees working in their establishments and the percentage of Kannadigas among them.
The organisation has also sought details of local candidates recruited over the last three years; criteria used for recruitment and measures taken to ensure equal opportunities for qualified applicants from Karnataka.
KRV also wants companies to share information about skill development initiatives, training programmes and internship opportunities provided to prepare local youth for jobs in the technology industry.
The organisation has said that companies in Karnataka get the benefit of state’s infrastructure (roads, land, water, electricity etc), its manpower (skilled workforce), transport facilities and so on. So it should also recognise employment aspirations of people of Karnataka.
KRV says its campaign is not against individual companies but to find out whether qualified local candidates are getting opportunities in private establishments; complaints from job seekers who say Kannada speaking applicants are being ignored during recruitment have also been cited.
#WATCH | Bengaluru: Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KARAVE), a pro-Kannada organisation, launched its 'Agraha Abhiyan' campaign to seek fair job opportunities for Kannadigas in private companies operating in Karnataka. On the first day, over 10 teams visited more than 100 IT and private companies and submitted demand letters seeking information on recruitment practices. The month-long campaign will continue across Karnataka throughout November. (02.11) (Source: karnataka Ramayana Vedike)
— ANI (@ANI) November 2, 2026
The campaign is however going on despite Karnataka Chief Minister D.K Shivakumar asking pro-Kannada organisations not to go directly to IT and biotechnology companies or take matters into their own hands.
He said complaints relating to employment discrimination should be brought to the notice of government and resolved through dialogue and within law framework also; “Government is committed to protect rights, dignity and employment opportunities of Kannadigas and will examine complaints of deliberate discrimination.”
The issue has also brought Karnataka’s proposed local employment legislation back in the limelight. In 2024, the state government had tabled a Bill that proposed reservations for locals in private establishments (management and non-management positions) but it was put on hold after industry representatives objected to its impact on recruitment flexibility and business operations.
The renewed campaign has once again forced questions on how the state can improve employment opportunities for locals while keeping Bengaluru as a major destination for tech companies and investment.
KRV says that its statewide campaign will continue throughout November. It will compile the employment data and complaints collected from companies into one report and hand it over to Karnataka government and other authorities.
Whether this exercise leads to change in corporate recruitment policy or new government intervention remains to be seen but until then the visits have put Kannadiga representation in Bengaluru’s IT workforce firmly in public view discussions on local employment, equal opportunity and responsibility of private companies are likely to continue.
Comments