After Deepika Padukone, Harsh Goenka Condemns L&T Chairman’s Remarks

Mumbai: Following Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone‘s concerns over Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan’s controversial statement, Harsh Goenka, Chairman of the RPG Group, has also expressed his disapproval of the remarks.

Subrahmanyan had made headlines with his shocking statement urging employees to work for 90 hours a week, even including Sundays.

Goenka took to X (formerly Twitter) to share his thoughts, saying, “work smart not slave.”

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“90 hours a week? Why not rename Sunday to ‘Sun-duty’ and make ‘day off’ a mythical concept! Working hard and smart is what I believe in, but turning life into a perpetual office shift? That’s a recipe for burnout, not success. Work-life balance isn’t optional, it’s essential. Well, that’s my view! #WorkSmartNotSlave,” Goenka tweeted.

On January 9, Deepika, who is a mental health advocate, criticized Subrahmanyan’s statement, highlighting its blatant disregard for labor laws and mental health. She re-shared journalist Faye D’Souza’s post and wrote, “Shocking to see people in such senior positions make such statements. #MentalHealthMatters.”

This is not the first time a businessman has made controversial statements with unrealistic expectations from India’s workforce. Earlier, Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy also sparked a debate when he suggested that young Indians should work for 70 hours a week to help drive the nation’s progress.

In response to the backlash, D’Souza shared a statement from Larsen & Toubro, which read: “At L&T, nation-building is at the core of our mandate. For over eight decades, we have been shaping India’s infrastructure, industries, and technological capabilities. 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. At L&T, we remain committed to fostering a culture where passion, purpose, and performance drive us forward.”

Deepika re-shared this post, captioning it, “And they just made it worse…”