BJP's Danish Iqbal slams Karnataka firm's hiring ban on northern men

BJP leader Danish Iqbal criticized a Karnataka firm for barring male job applicants from four northern states. The company cited a disciplinary issue for the ban, but Iqbal condemned it as discriminatory and hateful, challenging the firm's reasoning.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Danish Iqbal on Friday criticised a Karnataka-based firm’s decision to bar male job applicants from four northern states, condemning the hiring ban as unfortunate and full of discrimination.

Company Cites Disciplinary Issue for Ban

The controversy centres on a social media announcement by the founder and CEO of the Karnataka-based company, who alleged that male candidates hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh would no longer be considered for positions. According to the founder, the restriction was implemented following an alleged internal disciplinary issue involving a terminated employee.

“This mess started 2 weeks ago when an employee from one of the aforementioned states was fired, despite giving him a warning 2wice he was still abusive to female employees, and he was forcing himself on one of them...” the founder posted on X, detailing the incident.

Justifying the hiring freeze under the banner of workplace security, the founder on X wrote, “I'm sorry for this... But today we have made it very clear after lengthy discussion and quarrel... We will not hire any male candidates in our company who come from these 4 states in North India... 1. Uttar Pradesh. 2. Rajasthan. 3. Bihar. 4. Madhya Pradesh. We do have 1 Rajasthani already working for us. She has 100% supposed this.”

BJP Leader Slams 'Discriminatory' Move

Addressing the directive, BJP leader Danish Iqbal condemned the exclusion of northern job seekers, arguing that bans reflect hatred towards the people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. "In the name of women's safety, a Karnataka company's decision to deprive the youth of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh of jobs is unfortunate and full of discrimination. This shows hatred towards the people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,” Danish Iqbal said.

Challenging the statistical basis of the firm's profiling, Iqbal cited National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures to contrast crime rates between the two states. “NCRB data shows that every year, if crime against women in Bihar was recorded at 22,000, then Karnataka also registered 20,000 cases. If we look at the crime rate per lakh against women, then the crime rate against women in Karnataka is more than 60 percent per lakh, and in Bihar it is 37.5 percent.”

Calling for a more rational approach to corporate management, Iqbal said, “The CEO of this company should do a real study, then take a decision." (ANI)

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