2 min readBengaluruMar 17, 2026 07:49 PM ISTSiddaramaiah took a dig at Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna, who hails from Karnataka. (File photo)Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah criticised the South Western Railway’s last-minute cancellation of departmental promotion exams for its Hubballi division, scheduled for Tuesday, describing the decision as an injustice to Kannada-speaking employees.The exams had already drawn criticism from pro-Kannada organisations, as they were to be conducted only in Hindi and English. Several candidates had threatened to boycott the exams.Siddaramaiah said the abrupt cancellation of the exams had pushed Kannada employees into a state of uncertainty. “If the Railway Department had corrected its mistake earlier and allowed exams in Kannada, today’s crisis would not have arisen. Instead, by treating Kannadigas with disdain and cancelling the exams hurriedly as protests (demanding Kannada in the exams) intensified, the Department has acted in a condemnable manner,” he said in a post on X.The railway exams were to fill 194 goods train manager and 101 LDCE (Limited Departmental Competitive Examination) vacancies in the Hubballi division.Siddaramaiah also took a dig at Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna, who hails from Karnataka. He said he had hoped that “Somanna would stand by Kannadigas and correct this injustice. That is proved false. He builds castles in the air with his words about Karnataka, but when it comes to action, he must speak less and work sincerely for Karnataka.”Siddaramaiah further said that the Centre’s love for Hindi and its “disdainful attitude” towards regional languages like Kannada had already affected Karnataka residents when it came to central government jobs.“The language policy of allowing only Hindi and English in central exams, aimed solely at benefiting Hindi speakers of North India, cannot be tolerated,” he wrote on X.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:hindiKarnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah