Siddhartha issue raised in Rajya Sabha

The issue of the alleged suicide of Cafe Coffee Day founder V G Siddhartha was raised in Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

A Trinamool Congress (TMC) member urged the government to take steps to instil confidence among the investors in the country.

Taking up the issue during the Zero Hour, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said the tragic death of the entrepreneur, who ran a chain of popular outlets, has caused shock and agony among Indian corporate companies in particular and minds of people in general.

He referred to a letter, purportedly written by Siddartha, to the board of directors of the company, from which it appears that he was under tremendous pressure from other stakeholders as well as an official of the Income Tax Department.

"The government should clear misconceptions and the sense of despair prevailing in the industry and take steps to win the confidence of investors," he said.

"The government should also introspect as to why an environment of despair is looming large among industrialists and investors," he said.

Roy said about 5,000 billionaires have left the country last year though the government has taken several steps for ease of doing business, according to reports. "If we fail to regenerate the confidence of industrialists and investors, the growth rate will decrease alarmingly and unemployment will also increase," he expressed concern.