“Refrain from politicising every issue”: Nirmala Sitharaman hits back at Rahul Gandhi over Tata Group row
New Delhi : Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday hit back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his allegations concerning the Tata Group, accusing him of politicising commercial and legal matters and urging him to engage constructively rather than casting “baseless aspersions”.
In a post on X, Sitharaman responded to Rahul Gandhi’s allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government was treating Indian businesses as its “plaything” and that business leaders were afraid to speak out amid the dispute over the reappointment of N Chandrasekaran as Executive Chairman of Tata Sons.
“Being the LoP Rahul Gandhi, I suggest you refrain from politicising every issue. Also, casually labelling commercial and legal matters as criminal is unacceptable. You have repeatedly decried the successes of Indian industry & our entrepreneurs. Now, are you trying to incite our business leaders to join you in spreading distrust & toxicity?,” Sitharaman wrote.
Targeting the Congress party, she added, “For decades, your party had smothered the spirit of the Indian entrepreneurs under the stifling ‘Licence-Quota Raj’ & inflicted poverty on crores of Indians. On the other hand, our government led by PM Narendra Modi values the Indian industry as job creators & drivers of economic growth. Our policies have been tailored to enable enterprise, support industry and encourage investment.”
The Union Minister accused the Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) of casting baseless aspersions to suit his narrow political motives. “Political parties, leaders, governments and institutions share an equal responsibility to support our industry, strengthen our farmers and secure the future of our youth. Therefore, it is essential to engage constructively rather than casting baseless aspersions to suit your narrow political motives,” she added.
“The Constitution of India ensures justice to all its citizens & our Honourable Courts are entrusted with upholding it. History is witness to the shoddy manner in which you, your party and the PMs belonging to your party have demeaned the judiciary. So Rahul ji, refrain from seeing ghosts everywhere,” Sitharaman said.
Earlier today, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led government of treating Indian businesses as its “plaything”, alleging that business leaders were afraid to speak out against what he described as the alleged destruction of Tata.
In a post on X, the Congress leader alleged that Tata was being “criminally destroyed” and questioned the silence of business leaders over the matter. “Tata is being criminally destroyed, and no business leader dares say a word. How long will you stay silent? Until they own you? Indian business is not Modi and Shah’s plaything. You lack courage. We don’t. We will ensure justice for these crimes,” Rahul Gandhi said.
The remarks come amid a dispute within the Tata Group after Tata Trusts Chairman Noel Tata raised objections to the reappointment of Chandrasekaran, alleging procedural irregularities in the board meeting that approved the decision and questioning the validity of the resolution.
