NEW DELHI, October 29 (Aalimi Nation) – Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah of treating Indian business as their "plaything", as a dispute over the leadership of Tata Sons continued to unfold.
In a post on X, Gandhi wrote: "Tata is being criminally destroyed, and no business leader dares say a word." He also said Indian business is not the plaything of Modi and Shah, and added: "We will ensure justice for these crimes."
The post did not set out evidence for the claim. No immediate reaction from the central government, the Bharatiya Janata Party or the Tata Group to his remarks was available at the time of writing.
Gandhi's comments came as Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata challenged a resolution to reappoint N. Chandrasekaran as Executive Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group. The resolution was passed at a Tata Sons board meeting held on September 17.
Noel Tata's objections are contained in a letter dated October 26 addressed to the company secretary of Tata Sons, according to a published account of the document. He said the agenda circulated for the meeting did not explicitly mention the reappointment, that no Selection Committee had been formed under Article 118 of the company's articles, and that no committee recommendation was placed before the board.
He also stated that the required affirmative vote of directors nominated under Article 104B had not been obtained. In addition, he said that, despite two written requests over a period of more than three weeks, he had not received the audio and video recordings of the meeting, the final minutes or a certified copy of the resolution. The resolution was reportedly filed with the Registrar of Companies before the final minutes were prepared.
The letter describes the resolution as void. Noel Tata has asked Tata Sons to provide, within seven days, the meeting records, details of the voting and related documents. He has also asked the company to inform the Registrar that the validity of the resolution is disputed, and to take no further action until the records are settled.
Tata Sons has not publicly responded to the letter in the accounts available. It is not clear whether the company will provide the documents within the deadline, or whether the matter will move to a legal forum. The board's position on the procedural points raised has also not been set out.
Gandhi's remarks do not refer to the specific procedural objections raised by Noel Tata, and the post does not name any individual or action by the government that, in his view, amounts to interference. It is also not clear whether the Tata Group has sought any intervention from the government. The Tata Group has not commented on the Congress leader's allegation.
The Tata Group is among India's largest business groups, and developments at Tata Sons are closely followed by investors, employees and the wider corporate sector. Further responses from the government, the BJP and the company are likely to clarify the matter in the coming days.
