Advertisement
Criticise Modi? Big business wouldn’t dare, says Indian billionaire Rahul Bajaj
- Bajaj made the remark – a rare display of a corporate titan publicly expressing reservations about the government – in Mumbai on Saturday
- India’s home minister pushed back, saying the government had been ‘most transparent’ and was ‘not afraid of any sort of opposition’
Reading Time:1 minute
Why you can trust SCMP
0
Indian businesses are worried about repercussions should they criticise Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration, billionaire Rahul Bajaj said in a rare display of a corporate leader expressing reservations about the government publicly.
“None of our industrial friends will speak about it, but I’ll say that openly,” Bajaj told an audience in Mumbai on Saturday that included one of Modi’s most-trusted aides, Amit Shah. “You’re doing a good job, but despite that, we’re not confident you’ll appreciate if we openly criticise you.”
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was reported as saying on Friday that there is “profound fear and distrust among our various economic participants” ranging from industrialists to policymakers and bankers. Some have said that Modi’s government, which came to power in 2014, poses a threat to India’s traditions of tolerance and public debate.
Bajaj, 81, is chairman of Bajaj Auto, the world’s largest maker of three-wheelers. He attended Harvard Business School and also owns stakes in an investment company and an insurance firm. His grandfather, Jamnalal Bajaj, an Indian independence fighter and Mahatma Gandhi confidant, founded the group in 1926.
Advertisement