Thiruvananthapuram: 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.

“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.