Surat (PTI): A 58-year-old woman, her two sisters, and her brother-in-law were found dead in an apartment in Gujarat's Surat city on Saturday, police said.

Prima facie, they have died due to asphyxiation as the gas-powered geyser was left running. But the exact cause of death is yet to be ascertained, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) R P Barot said.

The police were informed about the bodies around 9 am, he said.

Bodies of the flat owner, Jasuben Vadhel, her sisters Shantaben Vadhel (53) and Gauriben Mevad (55) and Gauriben's husband Hirabhai (60), were found in the apartment, the official said.

The victims had gone to bed around 10 pm on Friday, he said.

"Jasuben's son went to check on them around 8 am and found them lying unconscious and informed the police. The victims had vomited. Samples from the scene were sent for examination, and the bodies have been sent for postmortem," Barot said.

While the exact cause of death was yet to be ascertained, there is a possibility that the victims died due to asphyxiation as a gas-powered geyser was running, he said.

Barot said the possibility of suicide appeared slim, but the police were investigating all angles.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Friday accused the Modi government of being "anti-worker" and demanded that the new labour code be reviewed, MGNREGA be revived as well as a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day be established.

On International Labour Day, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a swipe at the government and said unemployment in India today is a direct consequence of the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policies.

"Driven by the 'Hum Do, Hamare Do' policy, the Modi government implemented an anti-worker Labour Code. As a result, unrest has erupted everywhere - be it in Noida, at the IOCL facility in Panipat, Adani's factory in Raikheda, NTPC Patratu, or the Samsung factory in Sriperumbudur," Kharge said in a post in Hindi on X.

Instead of ensuring job security, this Code promotes policies such as contract labour and 'Hire & Fire' practices, Kharge said and called for a review of the new Labour Code.

The Modi government has effectively dismantled MGNREGA by forcibly pushing legislation through Parliament, he alleged.

"Mr. Modi has shifted 40% of the wage burden onto the State governments. State governments are unable to bear this financial strain and will eventually be forced to stop providing work," he claimed.

The Modi government has compelled workers into a state of unemployment and pushed them towards 'gig work', Kharge said.

Currently, 69% of the workforce is working for wages below the statutory minimum wage, he said.

The Modi government has engineered a crisis of stagnant wages, Kharge alleged.

"When adjusted for inflation, the wages of the majority of India's workers have grown by less than 1% annually over the last decade (from 2014-15 to 2022-23)," he said.

The Modi government has created a massive unemployment crisis among the educated workforce, specifically, among graduates, Kharge claimed and added that jobs have been eliminated through the sale of Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).

"The government has refused to fill approximately 30 lakh vacant government positions. Furthermore, the government's policy blunders have led to the decimation of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)," the Congress chief said.

The Congress reiterates its five demands for India's workers including revival of MGNREGA and its expansion to urban areas, Kharge said.

He said a national minimum wage of Rs 400 per day should be established, with MNREGA included within its scope.

Kharged demanded that a 'Right to Health' law must be enacted, providing Universal Health Coverage of up to Rs 25 lakh for laborers and workers.

"'Life Insurance and Accident Insurance' coverage must be provided for all unorganized workers. Preventing the contractualization of employment must be made a core priority of the government, and the new Labour Codes must be reviewed," Kharge asserted.