Nirmala Sitharaman hits back at Rahul Gandhi over Tata Group remarks

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has strongly rebuked Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi over his claims that the Tata Group is being "criminally destroyed", urging him to stop politicising commercial matters and refrain from "seeing ghosts everywhere".

Sitharaman's response followed a public statement by Gandhi targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah over a boardroom dispute at Tata Sons. Responding on social media on 28 October 2026, Sitharaman stated that casually labelling commercial and legal proceedings as criminal was unacceptable, accusing the Congress leader of attempting to incite business figures and spread distrust.

Contrasting the government's economic approach with past policy failures, Sitharaman highlighted that while decades of Congress rule had stifled entrepreneurship under the "Licence-Quota Raj", the government led by Prime Minister Modi views Indian industry as an essential engine for job creation and national growth. She added that the country's constitutional setup and judiciary are fully capable of ensuring justice without political interference.

Core issues in the Tata Sons dispute

The comments follow internal discussions within Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata conglomerate, regarding governance procedures and regulatory compliance.

At the heart of the debate between Tata Trusts and Tata Sons is whether to list Tata Sons on public stock exchanges following guidelines from the Reserve Bank of India. While N. Chandrasekaran supports listing the holding company, Noel Tata remains opposed to the move.

In an October 26 letter to the company secretary of Tata Sons, Noel Tata raised procedural questions regarding the board's September resolution to reappoint Chandrasekaran, citing requirements under the company's Articles of Association.

Sitharaman reiterated that political leaders and institutions share a responsibility to engage constructively and support national industry rather than cast baseless aspersions for political ends. The Tata Group has not issued any public statement regarding Gandhi's remarks.