Upset at the attacks on India, Tata group chairman Ratan Tata has sent out a strong missive on Twitter, the social networking site. Defending the Prime Minister, the chairman has suggested " Lets do the right thing ".

“Depressed to see the attacks on India,” he tweets, “Felt obliged to express my feelings”.

Stating that the “Opposition, the media and some private citizens and even some members of the ruling party have spoken and written disparagingly about our Prime Minister”, Mr Tata says it is sad and unfortunate to go on about “a person who was the architect of the '91 reforms which brought economic prosperity and international recognition to our country”.

Expressing his support, he adds: “They have also chosen to overlook the fact that this warm-hearted Prime Minister has led our country with great personal dignity and integrity”, and that to single out the PM “for inflation, decline in investment confidence and slow growth is grossly misdirected”.

Inflation in India slowed to its weakest level in June even as it exceeded 10 per cent. The consumer price index climbed 10.02 per cent from a year ago, compared with 10.36 per cent in May, the Statistics Ministry noted in a statement.

Mr Tata, who has sent out some 57 tweets from the time he signed into the account nine months ago, has some 283,821 followers.

His attached note to the Twitter handle, says how political in-fighting has brought “almost all government action to a standstill” and that the country must be concerned about “the manipulation of policy by power brokers and powerful vested interest groups to meet their self-serving desire to continue protection”.

Lashing out at the media, he says, “We should be concerned about unconfirmed sensationalised stories in the media to sell publications”. Foreign newspapers and magazines have recently been highlighting the PM's slow pace in continuing economic reforms. While Time magazine termed him an under-achiever in a cover story, UK daily The Independent says the PM appears to have no influence over his own Cabinet.

Offering advice, Mr Tata says: “All eyes are on the PM here and overseas in what could be his finest hour in leading the country to economic prosperity once again”.

Pledging support to Dr Manmohan Singh, he adds, “He deserves the support of the people of India at this critical time...Now is the moment in time when our PM must break convention, restore government credibility, and place the country on a growth path once again by implementing promised reforms, removing roadblocks to growth and controlling crony capitalism”.

“He will need to act boldly,” he adds, “to be courageous and to do the right thing. For the sake of the country, we all hope he will.”

amritanair.ghaswalla@thehindu.co.in

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