Nirmala Sitharaman's 'Seek God, Atma Shakti' Remark On EY Employee's Death Invites Congress' Ire

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday urged colleges and universities to include stress management lessons in their curricula, stating that it would help students build inner strength.

Her comments were made following the death of 26-year-old Anna Sebastian Perayil, a Chartered Accountant employed at Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune. Perayil, who passed her CA exams in 2023 and had been with EY for four months, died in July due to stress-related complications.

In a letter to EY India chairman Rajiv Memani, Perayil's mother attributed her daughter's death to the overwhelming workload that took a toll on her "physically, emotionally and mentally."

Sitharaman, while speaking at an event at a private medical college, referenced the tragedy without explicitly naming the victim or the company.

"An issue has been in the newspapers for the past two days. Our children attend colleges and universities, excel, and get jobs. But recently, there was news of a woman who had studied CA, yet could not cope with the work pressure. She died," Sitharaman said.

She added that while educational institutions focus on providing good education and securing jobs for students, they should also instill certain values, typically taught at home.

"Families should teach that no matter what you study or the job you do, you need inner strength to manage that pressure, and this can be achieved through divinity," she said.

"Believe in God, seek God's grace. Good discipline will foster inner strength, or Atma Shakti. This inner strength comes from growing one's Atma Shakti," the Finance Minister added.

Sitharaman went ahead and stressed on the role of educational institutions in introducing spirituality, arguing that it would help students develop resilience. The Centre has also initiated an investigation into the work environment at the Big 4 accounting firm.

Senior Congress leader KC Venugopal slammed Sitharaman's comments, calling them "outright cruel" and accusing her of victim-blaming.

Venugopal took to X, saying, "The ruling regime and Sitharaman can only empathise with corporate giants like Adani and Ambani."

He further condemned the government for failing to recognise the struggles of young professionals like Anna, who, even after landing a job in today's era of unemployment, are exploited by "greedy corporate systems."

"It is downright cruel for the finance minister to blame Anna and her family by suggesting that she should have learnt stress management at home. This kind of victim-blaming is despicable, and words cannot express the anger and disgust one feels," Venugopal stated in his post.

He also questioned whether the government had lost its sense of compassion.