Bengaluru, February 25 Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra on Wednesday criticized Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, accusing him of "misleading" the public about government recruitment figures and "failing" to address the concerns of unemployed youth in the state.
In a detailed post on his X handle, Vijayendra alleged that the Congress-led government was attempting to deflect accountability by blaming the previous BJP administration instead of taking concrete steps to fill vacant positions.
"Chief Minister, please refrain from misleading the people. Do not attempt to shift the blame for all your shortcomings onto the BJP and evade responsibility. Your administration has earned a reputation for arrogance, corruption, and mismanagement," Vijayendra said, adding that students and youth were not naive enough to be swayed by what he termed as "exaggerated claims."
Vijayendra's response came after Siddaramaiah's statement on Tuesday, blaming the BJP for the large backlog of government job vacancies.
The CM had stated that when the Congress assumed office in 2023, over 2.64 lakh government positions were vacant.
The backlog resulted from prolonged inaction under the previous BJP government, which failed to initiate timely recruitment or create a structured roadmap, he said.
As thousands of government job aspirants staged a massive protest in Dharwad on Tuesday demanding the immediate filling of vacant positions, Siddaramaiah accused BJP leaders of "misleading students for political gain" and said that recruitment irregularities and alleged corruption between 2019 and 2023 had eroded trust in the system, leading to the current crisis.
Questioning the government's public statements on employment generation, Vijayendra referred to figures presented in the Legislative Assembly.
"According to the official figures presented by your own government in the Legislative Assembly, only 8,157 government recruitments have been completed during your three years in office. Yet, publicly claiming that 40,000 positions have been filled raises serious concerns. Does this not amount to misleading the unemployed youth of the state?" the Shikaripura MLA asked.
The BJP leader also raised the issue of large-scale vacancies in government departments, claiming that lakhs of positions remained unfilled even after the Congress came to power.
According to him, the state was struggling financially and questioned the delay in initiating fresh recruitment drives despite what he described as legal clarity on proceeding under the existing reservation framework.
Vijayendra further criticised the government for prioritizing the accommodation of party workers and disgruntled MLAs in state-run corporations with ministerial rank and perks, while unemployed youth continued to wait for job opportunities.
"At the very least, please stop making claims that do not align with facts. Youth unrest in the state is mounting. Before matters escalate further, act with sincerity — or consider stepping down and seeking the people’s forgiveness," the BJP state chief said.
Noting that frustration among students and job aspirants was intensifying, Vijayendra urged the CM to immediately expedite pending recruitment processes and ensure transparency in appointments.
He warned that the government would be held accountable for any fallout arising out of growing youth discontent.