Bengaluru, Feb 25 (NationPress) The Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President, B.Y. Vijayendra, has leveled accusations against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, claiming that he has misled the public concerning the actual number of government positions filled during the tenure of the Congress party in the state.

In his statement, Vijayendra asserted that the information provided by the state government was inconsistent, both inside the Legislative Assembly and in public announcements. He highlighted that the official records presented in the Assembly revealed that merely 8,157 government positions had been filled within the three years of the current government.

Contrarily, he noted that the Chief Minister had asserted that 40,000 positions were filled, which he termed as false and misleading. Vijayendra questioned the government’s intentions and expressed concern regarding the ongoing deception, which he claimed amounted to a betrayal of Karnataka's unemployed youth.

He emphasized that, given Siddaramaiah's extensive tenure as Chief Minister, it was his duty to provide the public with accurate information. Misleading statements, according to Vijayendra, could exacerbate the frustration and anger felt by youth seeking employment.

Vijayendra urged the Congress government to expedite the completion of pending recruitment processes and to address the pressing needs of job seekers. He called on the government to cease its dissemination of false claims and to ensure justice for unemployed youth by swiftly filling vacant government roles.

In response to protests by job aspirants in Dharwad, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had encouraged students to concentrate on their studies while promising a quicker recruitment process. He mentioned, "Upon taking office, there were over 2.64 lakh vacant government posts. This significant backlog was not created overnight; it stemmed from the previous BJP-led government’s inaction regarding timely recruitments and the establishment of a structured plan to address vacancies."

CM Siddaramaiah also stated, "In the past 2.5 years, over 40,000 job recruitments have been successfully carried out across various departments. We acknowledge that many job seekers have faced prolonged waiting periods due to delays beyond their control. To alleviate this situation, our government has extended the age limit by more than five years for upcoming recruitments, ensuring deserving candidates are not unjustly excluded due to systemic delays."

It is noteworthy that thousands of students, BJP activists, and members of the All Karnataka State Student Association (AKSSA), alongside unemployed youth, staged a large protest in Dharwad, demanding immediate action from the Karnataka government to fill vacant posts across multiple state departments.

Opposition Leader R. Ashoka commented on the protest, alleging that the state government has neglected to address the issue of unemployment, despite having the authorization to fill thousands of vacant positions. He stated that over 2.5 lakh government posts remain unfilled in Karnataka, and that the finance department had approved recruitment for 65,000 positions nearly six months ago, yet no interviews have taken place.