NEW DELHI: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi Wednesday waded into the boardroom battle at Bombay House, which drew a strong rebuke from finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman.“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 said on X.Within hours, Sitharaman hit back. “Being the LoP (leader of opposition in Lok Sabha) Rahul Gandhi, I suggest you refrain from politicising every issue. Also, casually labelling commercial and legal matters as criminal is unacceptable,” she said while accusing Congress of harming the interests of Indian business.
FM to Rahul: Are you trying to incite business leaders to join your toxic drive?
You have repeatedly decried the successes of the Indian industry & our entrepreneurs. Now, are you trying to incite our business leaders to join you in spreading distrust & toxicity? 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 govt 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,” FM said in a post.She stressed that political parties and their netas, govts and institutions share equal responsibility to support industry, help farmers and secure the future of youth.
“Therefore, it is essential to engage constructively rather than casting baseless aspersions to suit your narrow political motives. 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,” she added.Rahul responded to Sitharaman’s comments saying: “Which ‘legal and commercial matter’ required Tata Trusts and Tata Sons to be hosted at Amit Shah’s residence? When is crony number 1 going to appear in the game and which pieces of Tata is he going to get? Finally, all India’s businesses except 3-4 of your cronies, already hate all of you and don’t need any incitement.”