It will be decided in people's court that 'lotus brand chowkidar' is indeed thief: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi: On a day Rahul Gandhi expressed regret in the Supreme Court over his remarks in connection with the top court's Rafale judgment, the Congress president attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying on May 23, it will be decided in the people's court that the "lotus brand chowkidar" is indeed the thief.
On April 15, the apex court had clarified that in its Rafale judgment, there was no occasion for it to make a mention of the contemptuous observation that "chowkidar Narendra Modi chor hai" (watchman Narendra Modi is a thief) as had been attributed to it by Gandhi.
The Congress chief expressed regret over his remarks on Monday, saying he had made the statement in the heat of political campaigning which was misused by his political opponents. He said he had no intention to lower the dignity of the apex court.
Later, in a tweet in Hindi, Gandhi targeted Modi, saying, "On May 23, it will be decided in the people's court that the 'lotus brand chowkidar' (kamalchap chowkidar) is indeed the thief. Justice will be done. The chowkidar who has looted from the poor and profited his rich friends will be punished."
The results of the ongoing Lok Sabha polls will be announced on May 23.
The Supreme Court had directed Gandhi to give his explanation on April 22 on a petition filed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Meenakshi Lekhi seeking criminal contempt action against the Congress chief for his remarks. The top court is scheduled to hear Lekhi's petition on Tuesday.
Gandhi, who filed an affidavit in response to the apex court's April 15 order, alleged that Modi too had used the Supreme Court judgment in the Rafale fighter jet deal case to claim that the government was given a "clean chit" in the matter.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Oracle lays off around 12,000 employees in India, another round likely within a month
New Delhi (PTI): US-based IT firm Oracle is believed to have laid off approximately 12,000 staff in India, with another round of layoffs expected within a month, impacted employees said on Tuesday.
Globally, the company has fired around 30,000 employees.
"In India, around 12,000 employees have been laid off. The company is planning another mass layoff within a month," said two people impacted by the retrenchment, including one from the company's human resource department.
The company has approximately 30,000 employees in India, including those affected by the layoffs.
Oracle declined to comment on the development.
Oracle, in an email sent to staff, said the employees were informed about certain organisational changes and "because of these changes, a decision has been taken to streamline the operations, and as a result, unfortunately, the position you currently hold will become redundant".
The company has offered 15 days' salary to each employee who has completed a year of service in India, in addition to one month of unpaid wages till termination date, leave encashment, gratuity based on eligibility and pay for a one-month notice period.
Oracle has also offered a two-month salary as a top-up.
However, the severance package is available for those who voluntarily and amicably resign from the company.
An ex-employee of Oracle, Merugu Sridhar, said that he was laid off in September for protesting against the 16-hour work shift that the company has in India.
"I contacted my friends and those who are in human resources. They shared that most of the Indians working in the US with the company have been impacted because the local laws there are very strict when it comes to the retrenchment of their citizens," Sridhar said.
