14-hour work day: CM can’t take decisions unilaterally, says BJP

Bengaluru: The BJP on Monday slammed the Karnataka government regarding proposed policies for the IT and ITES sectors, saying that it should be worried about its underperformance across sectors.

Speaking to reporters at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, state BJP President, BY Vijayendra stated that the issue needs to be discussed and the CM cannot take decisions unilaterally.

Vijayendra’s statement came hours after Karnataka Minister for Labour, Santhosh Lad, stated that the government was under pressure from the IT industry to bring new legislation proposing extra hours of work for techies and the government was still evaluating the Bill and wanted people to give their opinion on it as it is in public domain.

Vijayendra said, “My request to the CM is that Bengaluru is a global IT hub, and whatever decisions need to be taken, every stakeholder should be taken into confidence. And the CM cannot take decisions unilaterally.”

He further slammed, “Let them set right the inefficiencies in Karnataka government first. Last week CM Siddaramaiah stated that more reservation should be given in the private sector. We are not against it or opposing it. We welcome that move. However, the doubt is whether the CM was really serious on giving reservations to Kannadigas in the private sector.”

“We welcome that move. But, it is just an eyewash when so many scams have emerged, CM is trying to divert attention,” he alleged.

Earlier Vijayendra wrote on X, “Siddaramaiah’s government itself is in a sleeping mode but he plans to propose a Bill that will force the IT sector to work for 14 hours a day, 70 hours a week.”

Vijayendra said that the government should worry about the collapsing state economy and degrading infrastructure before setting policies for a sector that's efficient and thriving.

The Karnataka State IT/ITeS Employees Union (KITU) expressed its concerns over this potential change, highlighting the significant impact it would have on employees.