Tharoor slams Karnataka's job reservation bill as 'unconstitutional' and 'unwise'"
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Congress Working Committee member and Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday criticised his party-ruled Karnataka's bill mandating job reservations for Kannadigas in the private sector, describing it as "unconstitutional" and "unwise".
He, however, expressed happiness over the Siddaramaiah-led government's decision to withhold the bill.
"That was not a wise decision. If every state brings such a law, it would be unconstitutional. According to the Constitution, every citizen has the right to live, work and travel freely in any part of India," Tharoor told reporters, reacting to a query.
He said the Supreme Court had rejected a similar bill when a government in Haryana tried to introduce it.
"I don't know why Karnataka thought of it, on what basis," the Thiruvananthapuram MP said, adding that businesses from the state would be relocated to neighbouring states like Tamil Nadu and Kerala if such a law were implemented.
Earlier this week, the Karnataka state Cabinet had cleared the "Karnataka State Employment of Local Candidates in Industries, Factories, and Other Establishments Bill, 2024" on Monday, making it compulsory for private firms to reserve jobs for Kannadigas.
As the move drew criticism from the industry, with NASSCOM cautioning that companies would move out of Karnataka, the state government put the bill on hold.
The bill was expected to be tabled in the Assembly on Thursday.
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Nine dead as fire breaks out in residential building in east Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): A fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday, leaving nine people belonging to two families dead, including a toddler, officials said.
The incident was reported around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, following which police, fire and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said nine charred bodies were recovered from different floors.
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"One body was recovered from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from the staircase which was found locked," the DFS officer said.
Those found dead on the second floor have been identified as Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), son Nishant Jain (35), daughter-in-law Anchal Jain (33) and grandchild Akash Jain.
On the third floor, three members of a family were found dead. They were identified as Nitin Jain (50), wife Shailey Jain (48) and son Samyak Jain (25).
On the first floor a woman identified as Shikha Jain (45) was found dead while her husband Naveen Jain (48) sustained injuries.
A senior police officer said, "Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital."
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), traffic police and local police assisted in the rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours. Efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway.
