Nirmala Sitharaman rebuts Rahul Gandhi for terming Tata Group dispute ‘criminal’

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressing the valedictory programme of the platinum jubilee celebrations of Seethalakshmi Ramaswami College on October 26, 2026 | Photo Credit: Vengadesh R. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday (October 28, 2026) rebutted the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi for alleging the Tata Group was being “criminally destroyed” and accusing him of politicising commercial and legal matters, and casting “baseless aspersions”.“Being the LoP @RahulGandhi, I suggest you refrain from politicising every issue. Also, casually labelling commercial and legal matters as criminal is unacceptable,” Ms. Sitharaman said in a post on social media platform X, responding to Mr. Gandhi’s remarks on the leadership dispute within the Tata Group.“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?” the Minister said.Mr. Gandhi had earlier questioned the silence of India’s business leaders over the bitter leadership dispute at Tata Sons, the holding company of the country’s largest conglomerate.“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,” Mr. Gandhi said, adding, “You lack courage. We don’t. We will ensure justice for these crimes.”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? 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 @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. 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. 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.— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) October 28, 2026Mr. Gandhi is the first high-profile politician to publicly comment on the dispute, which has split the trustees of Tata Trusts and spilled into the Tata Sons boardroom.Unlike other conglomerates, Tata Trusts, a group of philanthropic entities, holds approximately 66% of the shares in Tata Sons, which oversees the group companies, including Tata Consultancy Services Limited, Tata Motors Limited, Tata Steel Limited and Titan Company Limited.Earlier this week, Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata challenged the resolution to reappoint N. Chandrasekaran as chairman of Tata Sons, which was passed at the September 17 board meeting.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 (@RahulGandhi) October 28, 2026At the heart of the friction between Tata Trusts and Tata Sons is the question of listing Tata Sons on the stock exchanges. While Mr. Chandrasekaran is in favour of a listing, amid pressure from the Reserve Bank of India, Mr. Noel Tata is opposed to the move.In her post, Ms. Sitharaman contrasted the Congress’s record in government with that of the Narendra Modi-led government, accusing the former of having suppressed entrepreneurship through the “Licence-Quota Raj”.“For decades, your party had smothered the spirit of the Indian entrepreneurs under the stifling ‘Licence-Quota Raj’ & inflicted poverty on crores of Indians,” she said.“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 added.Political parties, leaders, governments and institutions had an equal responsibility to support industry, strengthen farmers and secure the future of the youth, Ms. Sitharaman said. She called for constructive engagement rather than allegations driven by political motives.“The Constitution of India ensures justice to all its citizens & our Honourable Courts are entrusted with upholding it,” the Finance Minister said, alleging that Mr. Gandhi, his party and Prime Ministers from the Congress had demeaned the judiciary.“So Rahul ji, refrain from seeing ghosts everywhere,” Ms. Sitharaman said.There was no immediate reaction from the Tata Group to Mr. Gandhi’s allegations. Published - October 28, 2026 05:34 pm IST