Oppn targets Centre’s ‘anti-biz’ policies in parl

The Opposition on Wednesday accused the Modi government of pursuing “anti-business” policies and sought to link it to the death of Siddhartha.

Former union minister Manish Tewari raised the issue in the Lok Sabha and demanded that the Centre probe whether Siddhartha’s suicide was linked to the Income Tax probe into his business dealings. “It is now public knowledge that one of the reasons for the suicide was the harassment meted out to him by Income Tax officials,” Tewari said.

Earlier, Speaker Om Birla asked Tewari not to quote from Siddhartha’s letter as its veracity was yet to be ascertained. Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing him of betraying the people who voted for him.

“From what he (Siddhartha) has expressed, it appears he was greatly depressed due to harassment from different agencies, for which he could not run his business in a peaceful manner. This he could not resist,” West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said.

“Siddharth’s letter must be investigated. Risk & failure are an integral part of the entrepreneurial story. Suicide isn’t. Hope government reflects on anti-business policies,” Congress leader Milind Deora said. Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said Siddhartha’s death reflected a “worrying trend”.