Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday spoke to the parents of an Ernst and Young employee who died due to work stress and pledged his ‘personal commitment’ and the support of his party to ensure that the tragic death of Anna Sebastian Perayil becomes a catalyst for change.
The Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha shared a video on X (formerly Twitter) where he could be seen having a video call with Anna’s parents.
“I spoke to the grieving parents of Anna Sebastian, a bright and ambitious young professional whose life was cut short by toxic and unforgiving working conditions. In the face of unimaginable grief, Anna’s mother showed incredible courage and sacrifice, turning her personal loss into a powerful plea for safe and fair workplaces to all,” Rahul Gandhi said in his post.
The Congress MP also said “I have promised Anna’s family my personal commitment, and the full support of the Congress party, to ensure that this tragedy becomes a catalyst for change”.
In the video call, Rahul Gandhi is heard telling Anna’s parents that he is sorry for the tragedy they were facing. He also asked them for information about the work situation at Ernst and Young. “What was the work atmosphere like there? Was it very toxic? Is that what was going on there?” Rahul asked.
Anna’s mother, Anita Augustine, responded that her daughter had always complained about the long working hours at EY. “They have to work continuously, at night, Saturday, Sunday. Children are made to work like that, especially the new workers. He didn’t have time for himself”, said Augustine, then he failed.
He also pointed out that only in India, children are tortured in this way. “We got freedom in 1947, but our children are still working as slaves,” he added.
Meanwhile, Anna’s father, Sibi Joseph, has asked Rahul Gandhi to address the issue in Parliament. The Congress leader replied that he would be happy to do so and assured Anna’s parents of any help.
“However we support your cause, we would be happy to do that,” stressed the MP for Rae Bareilly.
Earlier on Saturday, Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor said he had spoken to Sibi Joseph, who suggested that he introduce legislation in Parliament for a fixed calendar that would regulate working hours in all workplaces. The Congress leader agreed to Joseph’s proposal.
Anna Sebastian Perayil, who joined E&Y India in March, died on July 20 after complaining of fatigue. The incident occurred earlier this week after the spread of a letter written by her mother Anita Augustine to the company, in which she alleged that Anna was under “pressure to work hard”.
The incident sparked widespread outrage on social media, mainly because no one from E&Y attended the employee’s funeral. The chairman of Ernst and Young India, Rajiv Memani, has also come under fire after denying allegations that “work pressure” was the cause of the worker’s death.