'Prolonged neglect in filling vacancies led to stir': H D Kumaraswamy slams Karnataka govt amid Dharwad protest

New Delhi: Union Steel and Heavy Industries Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday slammed the Congress government in Karnataka over its handling of the protest by job aspirants in Dharwad and said that the state government must start recruiting by filling vacant posts.

"The Karnataka government would be gravely mistaken to trivialise the large-scale protests by job aspirants in Dharwad. It is the prolonged neglect in filling government vacancies that has compelled the youth to take to the streets," he said in a post on X.

The JD(S) leader pointed out that a total 2.94 lakh government posts remain vacant across the state. Quoting the Karnataka Administrative Reforms Commission report by former Minister R V Deshpande, the JD(S) leader said nearly 7 lakh young people are unemployed and awaiting opportunities.

 "A responsible administration should have undertaken phased recruitment," he said adding that "Unemployment is not a routine administrative concern; it is a simmering volcano. The government must awaken to this reality, make dedicated budgetary provisions, and immediately initiate large-scale recruitment." 

Kumaraswamy noted that the highest vacancies persist in the education, health, and police departments. A total of 18 key police stations in Bengaluru city are functioning without Inspectors, he said.

"This drift in governance is already having adverse consequences on the ground. The government must act with urgency, step down from the third floor of Vidhana Soudha and listen to the voice of the youth," Kumaraswamy said.