Cyrus Mistry’s outburst against Ratan Tata and the directors of Tata Sons following his unceremonious removal from the post of chairman of the company cannot be shrugged off as motivated or unwarranted (“Cyrus Mistry cites constant interference by Ratan Tata”, Oct. 27). His allegations have raised disturbing questions about the standards of corporate governance and professionalism being practised in one of India’s largest business conglomerates in particular and the corporate world in India in general. The impression gaining ground now is that the board of Tata Sons has put its reputation at stake with Mr. Mistry’s abrupt removal.
M. Jeyaram,Sholavandan
It is intriguing that Mr. Mistry has listed so many facts and figures to prove that the group was not anywhere near a turnaround even after his four-year stint at the helm of affairs (“Tatas may face Rs.1.18 lakh cr. write-down, warns Mistry”, Oct. 27). In other words, Mr. Mistry is conceding that he couldn’t lead the company successfully.
If there is one real reason for the unceremonious exit of Mr. Mistry, it is unlikely that anyone outside the Tatas may come to know of it. It may be the culmination of several events during the last few years that have affected the fortunes of the Tata Group for which Mr. Mistry might not be the only person responsible. But those outside need to concede to Mr. Tata the right to correct, through legally acceptable means, a succession plan he implemented after considerable contemplation that may have gone wrong according to him.
M.G. Warrier,Mumbai
The shabby treatment meted out to Mr. Mistry and his consequent revelations may severely hamper the efforts of the search committee to select a suitable successor. The most talented contenders may shy away from putting forth their candidature for consideration to head the troubled conglomerate.
P. Ranganathan,Chennai
It is unfortunate that Mr. Tata’s dream project, the Nano, is in the news for the wrong reasons and has become ammunition for Mr. Mistry to censure Mr. Tata. It is unfair for Mr. Mistry to hold Mr. Tata solely responsible for the failure of the Nano project; it was the collective failure of the company.
One can draw parallels in the ongoing developments in the Tata group with what happened in Infosys. N.R. Narayana Murthy was compelled to head Infosys to resolve a crisis. These instances teach us the lesson that the experience of the older generation along with the energies of the younger generation are a must for the smooth functioning of a system.
Kshirasagara Balaji Rao,Hyderabad
