‘Which Tata matter had to be hosted at Amit Shah’s home?’ Rahul hits back at FM
Asks why Tata Trusts and Tata Sons were hosted at home minister's residence, as row over conglomerate’s leadership escalates
Rahul Gandhi questions why Tata Trusts and Tata Sons were hosted at Amit Shah’s residence
Sitharaman accuses Gandhi of politicising Tata Group’s leadership dispute and spreading distrust
Exchange comes amid bitter tussle over Tata Sons’ leadership and Chandrasekaran’s reappointment
Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, 28 October hit back at Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman over their exchange on the Tata Group’s leadership dispute, questioning why Tata Trusts and Tata Sons had been hosted at Union home minister Amit Shah’s residence.
'Dear Mrs. Sitarama (sic), 1. Which "legal and commercial matter" required Tata Trusts and Tata Sons to be hosted at Amit Shah's residence? 2. When is crony number 1 going to appear in the game and which pieces of Tata is he going to get?' Gandhi said in a post on X. 'Finally, all India's businesses except 3-4 of your cronies, already hate all of you and don't need any incitement.'
The exchange began after Gandhi accused the government of allowing the Tata Group to be "criminally destroyed", alleging that no business leader had the courage to speak out.
'Tata is being criminally destroyed, and no business leader dares say a word. How long will you stay silent? Until they own you?' Gandhi asked in an earlier post.
He asserted that Indian business was not Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah's 'plaything', adding, 'You lack courage. We don't. We will ensure justice for these crimes.'
Sitharaman hit out at Gandhi over his remarks, accusing him of trying to incite business leaders to join him in spreading distrust and toxicity. She urged him to refrain from 'politicising' every issue and said it was unacceptable to casually label commercial and legal matters as criminal.
'Being the LoP @RahulGandhi, 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?' she said in a post on X.
The finance minister said the Congress had, for decades, stifled Indian entrepreneurs through the 'Licence-Quota Raj' and 'inflicted poverty' on crores of Indians.
'On the other hand, our government led by PM @narendramodi values the Indian industry as job creators & drivers of economic growth. Our policies have been tailored to enable enterprise, support industry and encourage investment,' she said.
The exchange comes amid a bitter dispute over Tata Sons’ leadership, which has reportedly split trustees and spilled into the company’s boardroom.
Earlier this week, Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata challenged the September 17 board resolution to reappoint N Chandrasekaran as chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates.