Nominating Sadhvi Pragya absolutely right decision: Amit Shah
Kolkata: BJP national president Amit Shah Monday defended the party's decision to nominate Sadhvi Pragya as a Lok Sabha candidate saying the allegations against her are false and the real culprits in the Malegaon blast case have evaded the law.
Sadhvi Pragya, who is out on bail in the Malegaon blast case of 2008, has been fielded by the BJP from Bhopal constituency.
"It is absolutely a right decision. The allegations against her are baseless. Nothing against her or Swami Aseemanad have been proved," Shah said while addressing a media conference here.
Claiming that the "real culprits" were let off after being arrested, he said, questions should be asked why they were released.
Speaking on the contentious NRC and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, Shah said refugees need not worry as after returning to power, the BJP will first bring the bill in Parliament and then implement the NRC across the country to weed out infiltrators.
"The refugees will be given citizenship and they will remain in this country with full dignity. They should not pay heed to the misleading statements by Mamata Banerjee," the BJP president said.
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8 but was not tabled in Rajya Sabha where the BJP does not have majority.
The picture of Rajya Sabha will change in favour of the BJP by 2020 and there will be no problem in passing the bill, he said.
To a question on alleged discrepancies over citizenship and educational qualifications in Congress president Rahul Gandhi's poll affidavit filed at Amethi, Shah said the returning officer concerned should look into it.
Asked if the BJP will seek support from the Trinamool Congress in case it falls short of majority, he said, "The question does not arise. We will get full majority."
Reiterating his charge that "democracy has ceased to exist in West Bengal", Shah exuded confidence that people of the state will defeat the Trinamool Congress in this election.
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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.
