EY employee death: Backlash mounts as Nirmala Sitharaman's remarks on stress management spark outrage

NEW DELHI: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is facing sharp criticism from opposition parties following her comments on stress management, made in reference to the tragic death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a young CA. Sitharaman suggested that colleges and universities should teach students to manage stress through spirituality and inner strength—remarks that opposition leaders have condemned as "outright cruel."
Perayil, who passed her CA exams in 2023 and had been working at EY's Pune office for just four months, died in July.In a letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, her mother, Anita Augustine, described the "backbreaking" workload her daughter endured, which affected her "physically, emotionally, and mentally."
During an event at a private medical college, Sitharaman referenced the 26-year-old’s death without naming her or the company involved, saying: "A company, without mentioning its name... A woman who had studied CA well, unable to cope with the work pressure... she died unable to cope with the pressure."
The finance minister went on to say that students should not only receive education but also be taught stress management through spirituality and inner strength. "Believe in God, we need to have God's grace. Seek God, learn good discipline. Your Atma shakti (inner strength) will grow only from this," she said, adding that educational institutions should bring in divinity to help students "handle pressure."
These comments sparked immediate backlash. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticizing Sitharaman for "victim-shaming" and ignoring the real issue said, "Dear Nirmala Sitaraman ji, Anna 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."

CPI MP P Sandosh Kumar echoed these sentiments, calling the finance minister’s remarks "bizarre and insensitive." He argued that the focus should be on addressing the "inhuman working conditions" faced by young employees rather than advising them to rely on God. "Overwork, inhuman working conditions, pervasive unemployment, and lack of social security are creating stress and insecurity among workers... Instead of addressing these structural concerns, the Finance Minister's advice to 'rely on God' is bizarre and insensitive," he said.
Congress leader K C Venugopal also condemned the remarks, saying, "The ruling regime and the Finance Minister can only see the pain of corporate giants like Adani and Ambani, not the pain of the hardworking and toiling young generation... 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."

He added, "The toxic work environment should have triggered an honest review of corporate practices and led to necessary reforms that protect employees."
Amid the growing outrage, the government has promised to investigate EY’s work environment, though critics continue to press for structural changes that would protect young professionals from being overworked.