'I have highest regard for Karnataka' - PhonePe CEO says sorry for criticizing Reservation Bill
PhonePe’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Sameer Nigam, issued a statement in which he expressed regret for a recent post that he appeared to attack Karnataka’s contentious local jobs reservation bill on X (formerly Twitter).
Nigam emphasized in the statement his respect for Karnataka and its people. He highlighted his respect for Kannada and other Indian dialects, featuring the significance of linguistic diversity and social legacy as a public resource.
Regarding this Nigam stated, “I read some recent media articles, relating to a few personal comments that I made last week regarding the draft job reservation bill. I would first and foremost like to clarify that it was never my intention to insult Karnataka and its people”.
“If my comments hurt anyone’s sentiments in such a way, I am truly sorry and would like to offer you an unconditional apology. I have the highest regard for Kannada, and all other Indian languages. In fact, I truly believe that linguistic diversity and rich cultural heritage are a national asset that all Indians should be proud of; and all Indians should be respectful of and celebrate local and cultural norms,” he added.
After the Karnataka cabinet approved a bill mandating 100% reservation for Kannadigas in private sector Group C and D posts, this post provides the context for Nigam’s apology.
In addition, the bill mandates that local candidates possess Kannada proficiency for those without a secondary school certificate for management (50 percent) and non-management (70 percent) positions.
The Phonepe CEO mentioned that Bengaluru’s Indian start-ups are competing with trillion-dollar giants like Google, Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft in the competitive landscape.
He emphasized the significance of these start-ups’ ability to attract top talent solely through their proficiency in coding, design, product management, data sciences, and artificial Intelligence.
He expressed his regrets for unintentional offence instigated by his remarks, “It was NEVER my intention to insult Karnataka and its people. If my comments hurt anyone’s sentiments, I am truly sorry and would like to offer you an unconditional apology”.
He also emphasised by reinforcing the requirement to concentrate on skills more than reservations.
“To build world-class companies capable of competing in today’s global marketplace, we must prioritise talent based on merit,” Sameer Nigam added.
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