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A day after, Oscar ‘sorry’ for Noida CEO death remarks

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Agencies Posted: Sep 24, 2008 at 1439 hrs IST
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New Delhi, September 24: : Under attack from the India Inc for his controversial comments in the wake of the killing of a CEO in Noida, Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes on Wednesday expressed his apologies.

"My profound apologies to everybody who feels hurt," he said when asked by reporters to comment on the criticism by the industry for terming the incident as a ‘warning’ to managements not to ‘push’ the employees ‘so hard’.

His remarks evoked sharp reaction from captains of industry with FICCI president Rajeev Chandrasekhar describing them as shocking and Infosys CEO Nandan Nilekani saying whatever the circumstances murder cannot be condoned.

Seeking to end the controversy, Fernandes said he was sorry for his remarks.

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"I would like to put an end to this chapter by saying I am sorry," he said.

Fernandes said Class Four employees were appointed on contract basis and many a times the contractors did not pay even minimum wages.

Claiming that his remarks were ‘misunderstood’, the Labour Minister said he was for the poor sections of the people and was raising their voice. "If I have no right to speak, I will never speak," he said.

Fernandes had said ‘simmering discontent’ among workers might be the reason behind the killing of Graziano CEO L K Chaudhury at his Greater Noida office.

He had also said there were disparities in the wages of permanent employees and contract workers and felt that workers should not be pushed so hard that they resort to whatever has happened in Noida.

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View all Messages [ 20 ]
Loose Talks at High places - UPA style! by Sri America on 2008-09-25 04:20:51.908308+05:30
I think we have a bunch of morons sitting at the high places doing all the loose talks. We have the home minister supposed to be protecting the country wanting the terrorists to send him a time-table in advance for bomb blasts! And now the irresponsible union labor minister justifies killing in cold blood and says "sorry" like a nursery kid . These loose talkers unfit to be at the helm of affairs. Shame on UPA!
CEO remarks by Minister by D Singh on 2008-09-24 22:13:46.763895+05:30
What can one say when idiots like Fernandes become a minister and do not know even know what to say and when! Such is the state of our bureaucracy. What the unemployed workers have done is absolutely brutal, uncivilized and unjust by lynching a defenceless person. I have not heard anything happening like this in countries like USA, UK, etc. whatever may be the circumstances. Shame on the workers and Osar Fernandes.
Public Morality by V Ram on 2008-09-24 20:56:03.402785+05:30
India is paying very high price now for some of the mistakes Mahatma did inspite of unparalleled sacrifice and integrity. They are,(1) Not dissolving the congress party after it's mission of independence accomplished. Later Nehru clan and bunch of traitors hijaked that brand to get votes and plunder /rape the nation. Now even foreigners can take control of the country after apropriating Congress/Gandhi names..(2) Appointing incompetent power hungry communist Nehru instead of selfless patriot Patel as PM. No idea how many more decades India has to suffer for this blunder.The public morality has sunk so low now, when inconvenient the current politicians (anti-national corrupt thugs) in power simply say sorry and go ahead or say they were misquoted? Nobody has any integrity left to resign for the mistakes.. When did any minister resign after Advani-George Fernandez did so two decades ago?How low can people like Mulayam/paswan/lallu/Oscar/Arjun/Gowda etc. take the country?
A day after, Oscar ‘sorry’ for Noida CEO death remarks by Rakesh Kumar on 2008-09-24 19:43:56.984037+05:30
Will the criminals who murdered the CEO be punished?? I have my doubts since Mr. Oscar Fernandes and his team will be ready to protect them. And then this man has the guts to say that he has been "misunderstood"
Labour minister by Viju on 2008-09-24 18:30:59.924687+05:30
The archaic labor laws are at the heart of the problem. 1. If a company has the right to hire during good times they should have the right to fire during bad times. Contract labor is used so, they do not have to hire or fire. Reform the laws so the companies and CEOs have some margin. Nobody benefits if the business goes down due to labor issues.
        
Company Law
by Ashok Bhagat on 2008-09-24 22:49:30.293103+05:30
I entirely agree.
Oscar Frenandes by Ashok Bhagat on 2008-09-24 18:23:50.227063+05:30
This minister has no honor and no shame. He is not only callous, but also mindless. And he is a central cabinet minster. These people are destroying India.
Workers hands are not LAW by Mario Andrew Rodrigues on 2008-09-24 17:32:33.830351+05:30
Violence, Killing , Taking law into ones hand must NEVER be promoted or encouraged. Oscar definately therefore has appologised. Killing cannot be accepted under any circumstances. However , those CEO's who take workers for granted since they are available in plenty should be pulled up for sure. There are many CEO's who are illtreating workers, they should not be spared and should be punished. There are many CEO's who do most of the things for themselves and get the highest salaries as possible and the least of the facilties and the least of the wages are offered to workers by taking advantage of their bad luck that they were born in labour class with no facilties to improve on.
Sorry for people like 'oscar at the helm of national affairs by Bharat on 2008-09-24 16:58:13.006394+05:30
Wah India ! What kind of people rule the country today? Mahatma Gandhi's soul must not be in peace with such state of affairs. Wake up and reclaim India and free it from its current tyranny.
        
Sorry
by Dev on 2008-09-24 19:26:33.694652+05:30
Sorry Bharat this is mahatama gandhi's grooming and are still ruling the roost.What one can expect from people under goverence? UPA
        
UPA and the clowns of its leadership
by Bharat on 2008-09-25 04:11:45.737824+05:30
It is not just Oscar but the whole flock of these clowns of UPA government that have turned India into a banana republic. This is not the Congress party of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru and Indira Gandhi and this what people need to understand to be able to throw out this corrupt and anti-Hindu government. Now Rahul Gandhi speaks for Christians and showing his communal colors. Did he ever speak for those who were killed by the government for standing for Amarnath pilgrimage? Does India know who is Rahul Gandhi? We need to be sorry now that we let these clowns rule mother India. Fight for India to reclaim it for those who fought for its freedom.
Mouth disease by jati hoon on 2008-09-24 16:27:03.775219+05:30
He is not fit to be minister. Must resign or sacked.Loose words sink the ships.
Saudagar of khunkharabi by Bhagwandas Ramdas on 2008-09-24 16:26:56.815003+05:30
This conclusively proves how irresponsible the Govt and its Ministers can be.Since Oscar's threats amounted the right to murder some one if mudered was not in a position to compromise his position and that his Company the workers had no right to kill the CEO of thhe Company.Shame unto thisw Minister and his elk and his Party Chief.This merchant and trader of the Congress is spreading crimes.
CEO Murder by susheel on 2008-09-24 16:16:47.120661+05:30
This is the sorry state of affairs of Law
Big mouth by jati s hoon on 2008-09-24 16:16:46.00417+05:30
Fernades is not fit to be a central minister. He must resign and send to jail for inciting lawlessness.These guys are elected to protect indian citizens not harm them, what is the differnce between him and the mob which lynched poor C.E.O.,one kill with his big mouth and the other with sticks and stones..no this is not the end of chapter, but beginning of the book, "speak you should not, till the P.M. decide your minister post."
Bumbling and fooling around by Dilip on 2008-09-24 16:02:32.141461+05:30
It is really unfortunate that the Indian citizens have to go through this meddlesome and so called government which has no authority and voice. This govt manned and supported by great leaders like Lallu, Karunanidhi et al speaks in different voices and to suit their own political games and no authority is with the Prime Minister who looks much weaker than Mr Gujral and Mr Deva Gowda put together. Dr MS has one point agenda of Nuclear deal and his thinking has gone so nuclear that he does not have any iota about what is happening in this country. Add to this the bumbling future leader of Congress Shri Gandhi who still is not able to find any ground. The time has come for digging a grave and bury the congress party. Of course if we wait, the grave will be smaller and smaller.. God save India from these bunch of jokers and fools.
Attackers might be Christians, That is why he is defending by Shankar on 2008-09-24 15:48:04.843255+05:30
I think from the information he has, all those who attacked might be christian or muslims. That is why he defended the attack and Murder has ‘warning to managements'. What a shame such a honorable Minister defends the Murder, he has no moral right to be in the minister post. But the same minister critisise the attack on churchs in karnataka and orissa but defends the Murder of a CEO for the cheap politics and Vote Bank.
        
Violence of any nature is not acceptabe
by Sunny on 2008-09-24 20:42:46.130322+05:30
Do you mean that you justify the violence against Christians in Orissa and elsewhere. You should be ashamed to be called an Indian as it is the responsibility of every Indian to defend the constitutional right to any Indian, unless you think India belongs to only the fanatic Hindus. The issue is due to an identity crisis now where the fanatic hindu thinks that India is a Hindu rashtra where as the Indian constitution and the majority of Indians including the peace loving hindus think of it as a secular nation. If India is to be made a Hindu rashtra let us break up into different countries on religious lines just as the states were formed in the basis of language, only this time to form separate countries instead of states. If you donot believe in the pluralist experiment of democracy the fate of India which was never organised as an administrative entity as it is now during any of the earleir kingdoms would be at stake. It is time for every Indian to decide whether the time has come to call The secular Nation of India off and to divide it into different countries.
        
@ Shankar
by arjun on 2008-09-24 16:38:38.657282+05:30
It is sad that an ignorant person like you gets to voice an ignorant opinion on a public forum like this. But then, that i sthe price we pay for enjoying a democracy. it is because of people like you that India is still stuck in a state of religious disharmony. I agree that Oscar Fernandes said somethign out of line. But to say that he is defending the christian killers is just ridiculous.The minister is obviously pandering to his vote bank and made a stupid, disgraceful statement. But for you to say that he is defending Muslims and Christians, is just ignorant. I wonder what is worse.
Sorry for Eye Wash, But my earlier statments are Right by Shankar on 2008-09-24 15:35:43.758101+05:30
No sorry, It is the Internal sole which spoke about the murder of CEO. Sorry is not a apology by Oscar Farnandis, it is due to the pressure he apologised. Other wise it is the right statement what he made it earlier. One should understand the proxy war of Congress Ministers on all the fields to the tunes of west to destroy India. Not only at the labour ministry. One on Rame Dev Issue govt thought of de-moralizing the nation on his aurvedic medicen. Two Rama Setu, destroying it saying it has adam bridge, no value for hindu sentiments. Jammu and Kashmir, PoK, Terrorism etc.
Apology for what? by Rajiv Kumar on 2008-09-24 15:33:25.616488+05:30
I don't know why should he have apologized because what he said is truth. In the absence or even the of pretense of social justice how can one fool poor all the time. The vested interests can do anything to preserve their ill-gotten citadels and derive pleasure at the sufferings of have-nots. And to correct this if there has to be a revolution, let it be. No need to be apologetic about it.
        
fernandez, the sick
by bala on 2008-09-24 18:48:30.329937+05:30
Start your bloody or non-bloody revolution at the gates of the ministers who do all the things that you talk about in the name of social justice.
        
are you serious?
by Anil on 2008-09-24 21:49:00.870258+05:30
If murdering CEOs is your so called revolution, start by getting rid of all these politicians who have created this system. Why blame CEOs? Thier main job is to make money for the shareholders with some social responsibility BUT Govt. needs to own implementing social justice (its called the Judicial system) - not CEOs. Ignorant and illeterate people like you and Fernandez are the ones destroying India from within.
Agree with shurkumishra by amukhija on 2008-09-24 15:21:27.741004+05:30
Absolutely agree with shurkumishra. The minister should have resigned rather than 'end this chapter' by a phony 'sorry'. He actually seems to defend his statement, and the actions of criminal trade unions that are responsible for killing the CEO by saying 'f I have no right to speak, I will never speak'. He should never speak, and nor be a minister, since he is completely out of his mind and morality.
Shame on the minister by Madhavi on 2008-09-24 15:06:59.742823+05:30
These politicians have been a curse to our nation. To defend their so called vote bank, these fellows can go to any extreme. For us to expect rational behaviour from them is foolishness. What an impression these fellows are creating by making such irresponsible remarks.
IS IT by AMBRISH on 2008-09-24 14:59:52.784698+05:30
IS IT REALLY AN APOLOGY. I WISH PEOPLE HAD RIGHT TO DO THE SAME WITH POLITICIANS AND GOVERNMENT SERVANTS.
the so called honourable minister by shurkumishra on 2008-09-24 14:34:23.548382+05:30
what a shame and the usual excuse that he was misunderstood. ok u have apolised but what about ur heart? is it changed? just ask ur inner self. are you fit to be a union minister.whom do you represent? the unruly trade unions or the whole of india which include each and everybody.if there is any injustice to the workers wht the hell your ministry is doing?it is unfortunate that such mediocore people become ministers only because of their proximities to certain families and personality.God save the Indian democracy where peple of calibre like lalu, paswan, fernandes , manishankar and soren are our honorable minister and sonia the super prime minister.shurkumishra
        
Sorry for Eye Wash, But my earlier statements are Right
by Anand.N on 2008-09-24 15:40:03.865244+05:30
No sorry, It is the Internal sole which spoke about the murder of CEO. Sorry is not a apology by Oscar Farnandis, it is due to the pressure he apologised. Other wise it is the right statement what he made it earlier. One should understand the proxy war of Congress Ministers on all the fields to the tunes of west to destroy India. Not only at the labour ministry. One on Rame Dev Issue govt thought of de-moralizing the nation on his aurvedic medicen. Two Rama Setu, destroying it saying it has adam bridge, no value for hindu sentiments. Jammu and Kashmir, PoK, Terrorism etc.
View all Messages [ 20 ]
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