EY Pune employee death: Why is opposition targeting Nirmala Sitharaman?

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s remarks on the tragic demise of a young Ernst & Young (EY) employee have created a huge political uproar. Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old chartered accountant (CA) working at EY Pune, died just four months after joining the global accounting firm allegedly due to work pressure.

In an apparent reference to Anna’s demise, Sitharaman called on colleges and universities to impart stress management lessons. Her comments have garnered the opposition’s ire, with the Congress accusing her of “victim blaming”.

Let’s take a closer look.

What has Sitharaman said?

Without naming Anna or EY, Sitharaman said people require inner strength to handle the pressure that can be achieved through divinity.

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Addressing an event at a private medical college in Tamil Nadu’s Chennai on September 22, the finance minister said, “…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 the news – she died unable to cope with the pressure.”

She suggested that families should teach their children that they need to handle pressure in studies or jobs, which as per the Rajya Sabha MP could be “achieved through divinity only”.

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“Believe in God, we need to have God’s grace. Seek God, learn good discipline. Your Atma shakti will grow only from this. The inner strength will come only with growing Atma shakti,” the Finance Minister was quoted as saying by the news agency PTI.

“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,” she added.

Opposition hits out at FM

The finance minister’s remarks have sparked a backlash, with the opposition parties expressing disapproval.

The Congress general secretary KC Venugopal slammed Sitharaman over her remarks, accusing her of “victim blaming”.

“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 wrote on X.

The Congress MP asked how “heartless” can this government be. “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.

Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Priyanka Chaturvedi said the EY employee 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. Stop victim shaming and at least try to be a little sensitive, am sure god will be the guide if you seek,” she added.

Sitharaman has responded to the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader’s comments, explaining the context of her remarks in Chennai. “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 finance minister tweeted on Monday.

Dear @priyankac19,

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,…

— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) September 23, 2024

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has also lambasted the finance minister over her “bizarre” and “insensitive” comments. CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar reportedly accused Sitharaman of “belittling and demeaning everyday struggles of working people across the country”.

“Over-work, inhuman working conditions, pervasive unemployment and lack of social security are creating stress and insecurity among workers, particularly the younger sections of our workforce across occupations. Instead of addressing these structural concerns, the finance minister’s advice to ‘rely on God’ is bizarre and insensitive,” he said in a statement.

EY employee’s death

Anna, 26, died in July from a heart attack, as per reports. Her tragic demise came to light after her mother alleged in a letter to EY India head Rajiv Memani that her daughter died due to “work pressure” at the firm.

According to the letter, Anna was overworked with a “backbreaking” load as a new employee that affected her “physically, emotionally, and mentally”.

“On July 20, Anna returned home from the office late in the evening and suddenly collapsed. She was taken to the hospital where the doctors declared her dead… Before that she had no health issues,” the family told Indian Express.

The letter went viral triggering an outrage on social media. Anna’s death has stirred conversations about the pervasive “toxic” work culture at the Big 4 companies – PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Deloitte, EY, and KPMG.

Last week, the Centre launched a probe into the circumstances involving the EY employee’s demise. “Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway,” Minister of State for Labour Shobha Karandlaje wrote on X.

EY said in a statement it was “deeply saddened” by the employee’s death and that it “will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace”.

In a LinkedIn post on Thursday evening, EY India’s chairman Memani expressed regret for not attending Anna’s funeral, saying he is “committed to nurturing a harmonious workplace”.

Speaking on the issue on Monday (September 23), Union Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya said the Centre has sought information from state authorities. He said the report is likely to be submitted in the coming week after which the government will take action.

“We will have to study the results of the report. We have already sought information from the state officers. We’ll be able to tell more about it when the report comes,” Mandaviya added.

Rahul Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, spoke to Anna’s parents last week, assuring them that he would “personally fight for this cause”. “I have promised Anna’s family my personal commitment, along with the full support of the Congress party, to ensure that this tragedy becomes a catalyst for change,” he said.

With inputs from agencies