A major political controversy has erupted in Karnataka after the State Home Minister, Priyank Kharge, made dismissive remarks regarding job candidates protesting against alleged irregularities in the Civil Police Constable recruitment examination. Instead of addressing the growing concerns of the aspirants, the minister appeared to mock their peaceful agitation, suggesting that the government would simply let them protest for weeks before resorting to physical force.

When confronted by reporters and opposition leaders demanding his step-down over the administrative lapses, Kharge brushed off the calls with a sarcastic response: “Yeah, I will resign. Let them first 25 days, let them go on hunger strike. Then if they don’t control, we will do one lathi charge, and then I will resign.”

The Home Minister's remarks came immediately after intense protests broke out at an examination center located in the Vijayapura district of Karnataka. Hundreds of job aspirants decided to boycott the written test, pointing to major operational lapses in how the test was being administered. At the Sharadamba PU College center in Tikota, angry candidates claimed that the question papers arrived nearly 30 minutes past the scheduled start time. Furthermore, candidates reported that the official procedures for distributing the question papers and OMR answer sheets were completely inconsistent from one classroom to another. These visible discrepancies led a large group of test-takers to walk out of the venue in protest, demanding that the test be cancelled and a fair re-examination be held.

Many of these candidates expressed deep frustration, stating that such administrative blunders severely disadvantage applicants who have spent years studying and preparing for these crucial competitive tests. However, state officials quickly denied all allegations of wrongdoing. They maintained that the recruitment test was conducted in strict adherence to the Standard Operating Procedures established by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA). Officials further noted that candidates who walked out of the building while carrying question papers and OMR sheets were barred from re-entering the examination hall, citing severe violations of official KEA guidelines.

The large-scale written examination was organized across more than 800 centers throughout Karnataka to fill 3,991 vacant Civil Police Constable positions, drawing an massive turnout of approximately 4.54 lakh candidates. While isolated complaints and confusion were reported from a few other centers as well, authorities claimed that the vast majority of candidates resumed writing their papers after test supervisors intervened and explained the set procedures to them.

The incident has sparked sharp political backlash. Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka launched a scathing attack on the ruling Congress government, accusing them of total administrative failure. Ashoka demanded the immediate resignation of Home Minister Priyank Kharge, the complete cancellation of the examination at the affected center, the announcement of a fresh re-test, and a thorough independent inquiry into the matter. He further claimed that similar instances of exam mismanagement had taken place in other districts, including Haveri and Hassan.

In response to the opposition's fierce attacks, Kharge firmly rejected all calls for his resignation. Instead, he turned the blame back on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asking why their leaders did not step down when a major Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) recruitment scam occurred during the previous BJP-led state government. Defending his stance, Kharge questioned: “So if the people who are seeking my resignation should answer, why didn’t Mr. Bommai resign when the PSI scam happened? Why didn’t Mr. Araga Jnanendra resign when the PSI scam happened?”

In an effort to downplay the severity of the situation, the minister minimized the overall scale of the protests, arguing that only a fraction of test-takers were complaining out of the hundreds of thousands who sat for the test without issue. “Yesterday, lakhs of people wrote exams, and there’s a problem only with close to around 120 people,” Kharge asserted.

Despite his attempts to minimize the situation, Kharge’s statements have drawn widespread condemnation from opposition parties and student organizations alike. Critics have accused the Home Minister of showing complete apathy and insensitivity toward young job seekers who are simply asking for a transparent and fair selection process. The incident has now escalated into a heated political battle in Karnataka, with opposition leaders intensifying their demands for strict accountability and an impartial probe into the examination process.