BENGALURU: Congress leaders on Wednesday raised sharp questions over the ongoing developments surrounding a national brand – Tata Group – with AICC general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala describing the iconic conglomerate as a brand “painstakingly built since prior to Independence”.
Karnataka Congress leaders argue that protecting historic Indian brands is essential for balanced economic growth and fair competition. Surjewala, responding to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that Tata is being “criminally destroyed”, asked, “Is destroying it a prelude to its eventual takeover by a corporate group, or is it a ploy to strike out competition?”
Congress state president BK Hariprasad said, “It is one of the big Indian brands that is well known and accepted worldwide, and here is an effort to help ‘their’ cronies take over it as we have seen happen with other brands over the 12-year period.
Karnataka Congress leaders echoed the concerns, linking the developments to broader questions of corporate favouritism and institutional autonomy. Senior party leader and former KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao said the Tata Group represents a national legacy of ethical business and nation-building that predates Independence. “Any attempt to weaken or reshape such an institution through pressure raises serious doubts about motives. The people of Karnataka, who have long associated Tata with industrial progress and employment, deserve clarity,” he said.
Another Congress spokesperson said the timing of the boardroom conflicts and external interventions appears designed either to facilitate a takeover by a favoured corporate house or to eliminate a major competitor in key sectors. “Tata is not just a company; it is an institution built over generations. Targeting it in this manner cannot be seen in isolation from the larger pattern of concentrating economic power,” he said.
Congress leaders have framed the episode as part of a pattern in which independent business houses face challenges while select groups receive preferential treatment. Party sources in Karnataka indicated that the issue would be raised in public meetings and organisational forums in the coming days, with leaders arguing that protecting historic Indian brands is essential for balanced economic growth and fair competition.
