Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was widely criticised for her comments regarding the recent death of a 26-year-old Ernst and Young employee due to stress. Sitharaman's advise on managing stress and believing in God went viral on social media and received flak from opposition leaders calling it 'victim blaming' and 'outright cruel'.
Sitharaman later in a post on X, clarified that her comments about inner strength and spirituality were related to the university's new Meditation Hall and place of worship, where she had gone for an event.
Anna Sebastian Perayil, who passed her Chartered Accountancy exams in 2023 and worked at EY Pune office for four months, died in July.
According to a letter her mother wrote to the EY India Chairman Rjiv Memani, Perayil was overworked with a "backbreaking" load as a new employee that affected her "physically, emotionally, and mentally".
The government too has stepped in to say that it will investigate the work environment at Big Four accounting firm EY.
What Did FM Nirmala Sitharaman Initially Say?
Addressing an event at a private medical college here on Saturday, Sitharaman referred to the death of the 26- year-old woman, without naming the victim or the company.
"...was discussing about an issue that is on newspapers for the past two days. 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," Sitharaman said.
Even if educational institutions impart good education, ensure jobs to students through campus recruitment, they should teach certain things, along with education, that are taught in the family, she said.
"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.
"Believe in God, we need to have God's grace. Seek God, learn good discipline. Your Atma shakthi will grow only from this. The inner strength will come only with growing Atma shakti," the FM added.
"Educational institutions should bring in divinity and spirituality. Then only will our children get the inner strength, it will help in the progress of them and the country. That is my strong belief," the minister added.
Congress Slams FM, Calling It 'Victim Blaming'
Congress general secretary (Organisation), K C Venugopal lashed out at Sitharaman.
"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."
"It is downright cruel on part of the finance minister 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 said in a post on 'X.'
He further asked, how 'heartless' can this government be whether they have lost all sense of empathy.
"The parents are still recovering from this terrible tragedy. The toxic work environment should have triggered an honest review of corporate practices and led to necessary reforms that protect employees," he added.
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."
FM Reacts To Outrage Over Earlier Comments
Responding to MP Priyanka Chaturvedi's tweet, Sitharaman stated, "Had referred to this matter in a talk delivered in Tamil at a deemed University on the outskirts of Chennai. Had specifically mentioned that after clearing a demanding and rigorous examination such as CA, the stress on her was unbearable. No names were taken, neither of the lady nor of the firm."
Further explaining the 'context' of her quotes, Sithraman said, "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."
Denying her aim to 'victim shame' the deceased woman, the FM added, "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."
The Union Labour Ministry has already assured a thorough investigation into the allegations of an exploitative work environment related to the tragic demise.
