Bengaluru: The ongoing challenges faced by aspirants in the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) exams have sparked intense criticism. Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy, has accused the government of “playing with the future of youth.”
Addressing the media at the BJP state office, Jagannath Bhavan, Narayanaswamy expressed concerns over the repeated errors in the KPSC question papers. “Young aspirants, aiming to secure their future, are putting their best efforts into these exams. But the recurring mistakes in the Kannada translations of English questions are deeply troubling,” he remarked.
He highlighted that during the previous preliminary examination, 57 out of 200 questions were misprinted in Kannada, causing confusion and unfair results. “Despite protests, the issue persists. In the recent exam held last week, 33 questions were inaccurately translated, rendering the Kannada version incomprehensible and deviating from the original English phrasing,” he said.
Narayanaswamy criticized the administration, stating, “This government seems to lack respect for Kannada. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has shown no concern for this issue, even though it falls under his jurisdiction. Is the government relying solely on Google Translate for Kannada translations of English questions?”
The Opposition leader also raised questions about the appointment of officials responsible for KPSC examinations, alleging that non-Kannadigas who lack proficiency in Kannada are being entrusted with crucial tasks like paper preparation. “Who prepares and verifies these question papers? In the past, there have been allegations of leaks whenever papers were sent for review,” he pointed out.
He emphasized the gravity of the errors, stating, “One wrong answer can cost candidates thousands of ranks. If 33 questions are flawed, how are aspirants supposed to qualify? This negligence by the government reflects a lack of understanding of the stakes involved.”
Angry aspirants are now demanding justice. Many have reached the brink of frustration, with some even exceeding the age limit for eligibility for future exams. “We only ask for fairness. Allow everyone to write the mains exam. If we fail there, we will not complain,” aspirants have said. Others are calling for the cancellation of the flawed exam and a re-test to ensure fairness.
Narayanaswamy urged the Chief Minister to take immediate corrective action. “The government must respond to the concerns of the youth, or this issue might escalate into mass protests,” he warned.
The controversy has once again put the spotlight on systemic inefficiencies in the KPSC exam process, raising urgent questions about the integrity of Karnataka’s civil service recruitment.
