'Kannadigas are being denied job opportunities': DK Shivakumar warns Bengaluru IT firms over hiring bias

Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday warned private companies in Bengaluru of action if they were found deliberately denying employment opportunities to Kannadigas.

Shivakumar said his government had taken the allegations seriously and would not allow the rights, dignity or employment opportunities of Kannadigas to be disregarded.

"It is disheartening to hear complaints that Kannadigas are being denied job opportunities in Bengaluru's IT companies. The government has taken seriously the issue of native Kannada speakers being sidelined," he said in a post on X.

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"In Karnataka, the Kannadiga is sovereign. The government will not allow the rights, dignity, and opportunities of Kannadigas to be disregarded for any reason," he added.

What triggered the controversy?

The chief minister's statement came after a video circulated on social media in which a woman alleged that some Bengaluru IT companies were discriminating against Kannada-speaking job applicants.

According to local media reports, the woman claimed that candidates mentioning Kannada on their resumes were being rejected, while some companies preferred to recruit applicants from other states.

She also alleged that certain companies were not conducting campus recruitment drives at Bengaluru colleges and were instead hiring candidates from elsewhere at lower salaries.

The allegations have not been independently verified.

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'Government will take appropriate action'

Shivakumar said Bengaluru's position as India's technology capital was a source of pride and that Kannada-speaking professionals had contributed to the city's growth.

"The world sees Bengaluru as India's technology capital, and we take immense pride in the talent, skills, and capabilities of our Kannadigas," he said. "If it is found that any private institution has deliberately sidelined Kannadigas, the government will take appropriate action. As the voice of Kannadiga interests, the government is always committed to responding to their concerns."

The chief minister did not specify what action would be taken against companies found discriminating against local candidates.

Bengaluru is widely regarded as India's technology capital, with a large concentration of software companies, multinational technology firms, startups and global capability centres (GCCs).

The city is home to major Indian technology companies, including Infosys and Wipro, alongside research and development operations of multinational corporations.

The Nasscom-Zinnov GCC Landscape Report 2026 estimated that the city accounted for 29% of India's GCC ecosystem.

A September 2026 hiring report by PeopleLogic found that Bengaluru accounted for 30% of IT job postings in its tracked market, ahead of other major technology centres.