NEW DELHI: Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday hit back at finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman with a 4-point response over the Tata Group row, questioning why Tata Trusts and Tata Sons representatives were reportedly hosted at Union home minister Amit Shah ‘s residence.His remarks came after Sitharaman accused the Congress leader of politicising the Tata Group dispute and advised him to “refrain from seeing ghosts everywhere”.In a post on X, Rahul asked when “crony number 1” would enter the picture and which parts of the Tata Group he would get.“Dear Mrs Sitarama. 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?” he said.“Finally, all India’s businesses except 3-4 of your cronies, already hate all of you and don’t need any incitement,” he added.His remarks came after Sitharaman accused the Congress leader of politicising the Tata Group dispute and urged him to “refrain from seeing ghosts everywhere”.The exchange followed Rahul’s earlier post accusing the government of “criminally destroying” the Tata Group and questioning business leaders’ silence over the matter.“Being the LoP RahulGandhi, I suggest you refrain from politicising every issue. Also, casually labelling commercial and legal matters as criminal is unacceptable,” Sitharaman wrote on X.The finance minister alleged that Rahul had “repeatedly decried” the achievements of Indian industry and its entrepreneurs. She also accused him of trying to “incite” business leaders to join him in “spreading distrust and toxicity”.Sitharaman contrasted the Congress’s economic record with the BJP-led government’s approach, accusing the former of suppressing entrepreneurs through its “stifling Licence-Quota Raj”.“For decades, your party had smothered the spirit of Indian entrepreneurs under the stifling ‘Licence-Quota Raj’ and inflicted poverty on crores of Indians. On the other hand, our government led by PM Narendramodi values Indian industry as a creator of jobs and a driver of economic growth. Our policies have been tailored to enable enterprise, support industry and encourage investment,” she added.She urged Rahul to engage constructively with the government rather than make allegations for what she described as “narrow political motives”.“The Constitution of India ensures justice to all its citizens and 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, Rahul had targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah over the dispute, alleging that the Tata Group was being undermined and that business leaders were reluctant to speak out.
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“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,” he wrote on X.The remarks came amid a dispute over the reappointment of N Chandrasekaran as executive chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group.Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata has challenged the decision to reappoint Chandrasekaran, alleging procedural irregularities and questioning the validity of the resolution.In a letter dated October 26 to Tata Sons’ company secretary, Noel Tata argued that the reappointment was invalid because it lacked a recommendation from the Selection Committee and did not meet requirements under the company’s Articles of Association.He also sought recordings and minutes of the board meeting, along with voting details, and asked the company to inform regulators that the resolution’s validity was disputed.
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