The sound of silence

Rahul Bajaj said nothing new but the govt should listen all the same

It speaks volumes for the public discourse under Prime Minister Narendra Modi that Bajaj group share prices fell on a day the Sensex held steady after Rahul Bajaj’s candid reference to the regime’s aversion to criticism at a media function in Mumbai. Mr Bajaj chose a high-profile event — an Economic Times award function attended by Mumbai’s movers and shakers — and spoke in the presence of the government’s power elite — Home Minister Amit Shah, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and Railway and Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal — ensuring that his comments received the maximum attention. The media and liberal