The statements made by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman regarding the death of 26-year-old chartered accountant Anna Sebastian Perayil have created a furor. While addressing the students and faculty of a private medical college in Chennai recently, the minister implied that the people require some extra spiritual power to cope with the job pressure, and the source of that strength is God. Her comments have elicited negative reactions from many social media enthusiasts and the leaders of the opposition, who have described them as insensitive.
Sitharamen indirectly mentioned Perayil’s death by simply mentioning the company where he worked, Ernst & Young, where she was also working. “A woman who studied hard was unable to cope with work pressure,” she said. Noting the importance of personal resources, she encouraged families to teach their children to stand strong, saying that this goal can be accomplished through spirituality.
The minister was condemned for such remarks, especially by Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, who told Perayil that she has ‘heart, spirit, and courage to complete Charter Accountancy.’ “It was the toxic work culture that deprived her of her life,” the IAS officer said to the minister while appealing to acknowledge the essence of the toxic workplace environment.
Another CPI MP, P. Santosh Kumar, complained that Sitharamyane was humiliating the efforts of the toiling masses, noting that substandard working conditions exert severe pressure on the workforce.
Maya Perayil’s loss has led the country to reflect on the effects of hostile environments on workers. Her mother, Anita Augustine, wrote a letter to the chairman of Ernst & Young and pointed out that overwork is a problem that formed her daughter.
In response to these revelations, Ernst & Young India’s representatives apologized to the family and promised that their concerns would be stamped on. The Union Labour Ministry has ordered an inquiry into the allegations of an unsafe work environment with a commitment on the minister’s part that justice will be done.
