Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responded to criticism surrounding her remarks on the death of a 26-year-old chartered accountant, Anna Sebastian Perayil, who allegedly succumbed to 'work pressure' at EY.
Sitharaman, in a post on X, clarified that her comments on inner strength and spirituality were made in the context of the university’s newly established Meditation Hall and place of worship, designed to support students and faculty.
"The University (where she was a speaker) set up a Meditation Hall and a place of worship for all its students and faculty. It is in this context that I spoke on how it is necessary to build inner strength for students. With a sense of grief over the tragic loss, I highlighted the importance of institutions and families to support the children, and in no way victim shaming was done nor intended, even remotely," she wrote.
"Believe in God, we need to have God's grace. Seek God, and learn good discipline. Your Atmashakti will grow only from this. The inner strength will come only with growing Atmashakti," she had said earlier. The Finance Minister’s remarks sparked criticism, with opposition leaders and social media users accusing her of insensitivity.
“The ruling regime and the finance minister can only see the pain of corporate giants like Adani and Ambani, not the pain of the hardworking and toiling young generation where freshers like Anna are exploited by the greedy corporate system if they even succeed in getting a job in this era of historic joblessness,” Congress general secretary (Organisation), K C Venugopal, wrote in a post on X.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Rajya Sabha MP, responded, "Anna had the inner strength to handle the stress that came with pursuing a gruelling Chartered Accountancy degree. It was the toxic work culture, long work hours that took away her life which needs to be addressed."
The Union Labour Ministry has assured a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death, with particular focus on the work environment that may have contributed to the tragedy.