Karnataka Oppn leaders protest against two-language policy in CRPF exams

Urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to immediately allow candidates the option of writing the recruitment exam in Kannada, Opposition leader Siddaramaiah said that though candidates who studied in Kannada medium are smart, “they are unable to clear the exams because of language barrier”. “This is injustice towards our youth,” he added.

Youth from the state, he contended, were being deprived of jobs due to “40% corruption of the state BJP government and language policy of the Union BJP government.”

“This has increased the unemployment rate and destroyed the future of our youth. Double engine govt has failed our candidates,” he said.

JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy also decried the policy and said that the Union government has continued imposing Hindi, even after opposition by the Southern states. “Exams should be held again for CRPF recruitment and candidates should be allowed to write in all languages including Kannada,” he said.

He noted that the exams were for 9,212 posts, of which 466 were in Karnataka. “Not allowing candidates to write in their mother tongue is an insult to the constitution,” he said. The Hindi-centered recruitment policy is robbing speakers of other scheduled languages from gaining jobs, he added.