‘Why shouldn’t he stare at his wife?’: Jwala Gutta hits back at L&T chairman for misogynistic comments
Former badminton star Jwala Gutta has blasted Larsen & Toubro (L & T) chairman SN Subrahmanyan for his comments on wanting his employees to work on Sundays.
Former badminton star Jwala Gutta has criticised Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairman SN Subrahmanyan for his comments about wanting his employees to work on Sundays. Subrahmanyan's remarks quickly went viral, with Gutta pointing out that it is sad people are not taking mental health and rest seriously.
The entire incident took place during an employee interaction, where Subrahmanyan was asked why a multi-billion-dollar company is required to work on Saturdays. In response, Subrahmanyan stated that he regrets not being able to make him work on Sundays.
“If I can make you work on Sundays, I will be more happy because I work on Sundays,” Subrahmanyan said. He added, “What do you do sitting at home? How long can you look at your wife? Come on, get to the office and start working.”
The remark didn't go well with Gutta who took to social media to hit back at Subrahmanyan. Calling the entire episode ‘scary and disappointing’, Gutta wrote, “I mean…first of all, why shouldn’t he stare at his wife…and why only on a Sunday!!!”
She added, “It's sad and sometimes unbelievable that such educated and people at highest positions of big organisations are not taking mental health and mental rest seriously…and making such misogynistic statements and exposing themselves so openly!! It’s disappointing and scary!!!!”
Subrahmanyan isn't the first person to call for a seven-day workweek. Earlier, Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy also called for the same.
To further support his point, Subrahmanyam gave an example of a Chinese man with whom he recently had an interaction. According to Subrahmanyam, the Chinese man claimed China could beat the USA.
"That gentleman told me we could easily beat America. Chinese people work 90 hours a week, whereas Americans work only 50 hours a week. So that’s the answer for you. If you have got to be on top of the world. You have to work 90 hours a week. Get going, guys. Come on,” added Subrahmanyan.
What did L&T say after Subrahmanyan's comment?
Meanwhile, L&T has backed its chairman amid the growing backlash. In a statement, the company said the country needs collective dedication as this is India's decade. "We believe this is India’s decade, a time demanding collective dedication and effort to drive progress and realize our shared vision of becoming a developed nation.
“The Chairman’s remarks reflect this larger ambition, emphasizing that extraordinary outcomes require extraordinary effort,” the statement read.
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Business NewsNewsTrends‘Why shouldn’t he stare at his wife?’: Jwala Gutta hits back at L&T chairman for misogynistic comments
First Published:10 Jan 2025, 10:29 AM IST
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