Rishi Sunak’s billionaire father-in-law sparks outcry in India by saying young people should work 70-HOUR weeks

• UK law states employees should not work more than 48 hours a week on average

Rishi Sunak’s billionaire father-in-law has sparked outrage in India after saying that young people should work 70-hour weeks to ‘help the country’.

Software tycoon NR Narayana Murthy made the remarks on a business podcast in which he also complained that young Indians are picking up ‘not-so desirable habits from the West’.

He lamented that work productivity in India is ‘one of the lowest in the world’ and added that ‘unless we improve our work productivity… we will not be able to compete with those countries that have made tremendous progress.’

‘So, therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say, ‘This is my country. I’d like to work 70 hours a week’,’ he said.

The controversial comments triggered backlash from many online, with critics pointing out the low starting salaries and long hours endured by youngsters in the country.

Some business leaders have backed his calls for higher productivity, while his wife defended the comments saying her husband has worked even longer than 70-hour weeks during his successful career.

NR Narayana Murthy complained that young Indians are picking up ‘not-so desirable habits from the West’

Software tycoon NR Narayana Murthy made the remarks on business podcast The Record

In the UK, where Mr Murthy’s son-in-law is the Prime Minister, the working time directive states that employees should not work more than 48 hours a week on average

‘He has worked 80 to 90 hours a week, so he doesn’t know what less than that is,’ Sudha Murty told News 18. 

‘He believes in real hard work and he lived like that. Hence, he has told what he felt.’

In the UK, where Mr Murthy’s son-in-law is the Prime Minister, the working time directive states that employees should not work more than 48 hours a week on average.

Employees’ working hours has become a hot topic in India, with the pandemic prompting a change in attitude as people could increasingly work from home, but also slowing down the economy as it did elsewhere with successive lockdowns.

Earlier this year, Tamil Nadu state government was forced to withdraw a bill that would have allowed working time in factories to increase from eight to 12 hours following angry protests and outcry from opposition politicians.

One health expert took to X to slam the suggestion, arguing that over-working is leading to declining health among Indian youth.

‘No time to socialise, no time to talk to family, no time to exercise, no time for recreation. Not to mention companies expect people to answer emails and calls after work hours also,’ Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy, a Bengaluru-based cardiologist, wrote.

Sudha Murthy defended the comments saying her husband has worked even longer than 70-hour weeks during his successful career

‘Then wonder why young people are getting heart attacks?’ 

Meanwhile, Mumbai-based businesswoman Radhika Gupta argued that Indian women have long worked ‘many more than 70-hour weeks to build India’, with their time consumed by both office and house work. 

Entrepreneur and filmmaker Ronnie Screwvala argued that Mr Murthy’s suggestion was not the best way to increase workflow efficiency.

‘Boosting productivity isn’t just about working longer hours. It’s about getting better at what you do – Upskilling, having a positive work environment and fair pay for the work done. 

‘Quality of work done > clocking in more hours,’ he wrote on X in response to the comments.

Another tech heavyweight has supported Mr Murthy’s argument however, writing on X: ‘I believe when he talks of work, it’s not limited to the company… it extends to yourself and your country – work 40 hours for the company but work 30 hours for yourself.

‘Invest the 10,000 hours that makes one a master in one’s subject.. burn the midnight oil and become an expert in your field. THAT is 70 hours of work which can differentiate you as a youngster and in the process your country.’

It is not the first time Mr Murthy has suggested Indians up their working hours. 

He also faced criticism back in 2020 for suggesting they should rack up a minimum of 64 hours a week for two to three years to compensate for the economic slowdown caused by the Covid pandemic.

Mr Murthy is one of India’s richest men, rising from a middle class background to accrue a personal wealth of more than £3 billion. 

He is the father of Akshata Murty, who met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak while studying at Stanford University in the US.

His daughter, a wealthy businesswoman in her own right whose personal fortune is worth an estimated £1 billion recently described her values of ‘hard work, humility and selflessness.’

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