Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman sparked critcism after making shocking remarks following the death of a CA professional working at Ernst & Young.
Anna Sebastian Perayil, 26, died in July after working at EY's Pune office for four months. She had passed her Chartered Accountancy exams in 2023.
Speaking at an event in a Chennai medical college, Sitharaman said, "Our children go to colleges and universities for education and come out in flying colours. A company, without mentioning its name, its a partnership. There, a woman who had studied CA well, unable to cope with the work pressure, two-three days ago we received a news--she died unable to cope up with the pressure."
She said institutions should not only impart good education and ensure jobs to students, they should also teach certain thing that are taught in the family. "What should families teach? Whatever you study and the job you do, you should have the inner strength to handle that pressure and this can be achieved through divinity only," she said.
"Believe in God, we need to have God's grace. Seek God, learn good discipline. Your self-strength will grow only from this," the FM added.
Sitharaman's remarks have sparked criticism from various corners, including the opposition. Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal lashed out at the minister, saying the Centre can only see the pain of corporate giants like Adani and Ambani and not the pain of the hardworking young generation. He added that freshers like Anna are exploited by the greedy corporate system even if they manage to land a job in this era of unemployment.
He posted on X that it is "downright cruel" on the minister's part to blame Anna and her family for suggesting that she should have learnt stress management at home. "This kind of victim blaming is despicable and no words can convey the anger and disgust one feels because of such statements." he added.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP, took to X, saying, "Dear Nirmala Sitaraman ji, Anna had 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." She asked the minister to stop victim shaming and to be sensitive "I am sure god will be the guide if you seek," she added.
Replying to Chaturvedi, Sitharaman clarified that she had "specifically mentioned that after clearing a demanding and rigorous examination such as CA, the stress on her was unbearable." She added that no names were taken, neither of the lady nor of the firm.
Sitharaman added that the Chennai institution where she was speaking had 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 added that the Union Labour Ministry has already assured a thorough investigation into the allegations of an exploitative work environment related to the tragic demise.