Rude truths

In India, discourtesy is an expression of power

The leaked video clip of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s outburst at State Bank of India (SBI) Chairman Rajnish Kumar over non-functioning bank accounts of tea garden workers revealed one of India's worst-kept secrets: The habitual discourtesy of the rich and powerful towards their subordinates. The whistle-blower who taped the exchange was making a point: That a senior politician thought it was acceptable to berate the head of the country’s largest bank in a meeting attended by officials of the Assam government and SBI. That her accusations were misdirected is beside the point. The fact that Mr Kumar did not think