Former Infosys CFO TV Mohandas Pai targeted Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam and accused her of having failed in her mission to “stop tax terrorism.” The Aarin Capital chairman pushed out his scathing tweet after Tamil Nadu’s Wintrack Inc announced on social media that it would be ceasing all import and export activities in India due to alleged harassment perpetrated by Chennai Customs officials.

Mohandas Pai vs Nirmala Sitharam

“Madame @nsitharaman this is not acceptable. You have failed to stamp out systemic corruption in our ports. Please stop this,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter on Wednesday evening. Recounting how she and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made big promises of a “corruption free rule,” Pai fumed, “You have also failed to stop TAX TERRORISM.”

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Alluding to the numbers she Sitharam showed in her last budget presentation, he continued, “I hope you have seen it. Rs 30l cr stuck up in tax disputes, 15 cr said to be recoverable- ~80% + in last 5 years!” Urging her to push for necessary action, he added, “15l cr deemed non recoverable- no assets, no assessee. Please act,” while also tagging Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the post.

In a follow-up tweet, he wrote, “Please ACT AND SAVE TAXPAYERS.”

Wintrack Inc speaks out against Chennai Customs

On Wednesday morning, the company alleged that Chennai Customs had relentless harassed them for over a month. “Earlier this year, when we exposed instances of bribery, we faced retaliatory actions that have severely impacted our ability to conduct business,” they wrote in an official statement. “Despite our best efforts, the sustained pressure had made it impossible to continue operations.”

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) has since responded to the development, saying the case of corruption allegation pertains to “misdeclaration and misclassification by the importer.”

BJP Bihar’s Vice President Dr Amrita Bhushan Rathore reacted to Mohandas Pai’s recent post and amplified the Chennai Customs’ official stance on the issue. “During an official meeting on 30.09.2025, the importer attempted to intimidate senior officers through threats of media exposure and self-harm when informed that due process must be followed. This conduct has been formally documented and reported,” she wrote in the comments section.

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Further addressing the former Infosys exec, she hit it out against Pai for his “obsession of finding faults in the govt system.”

Chennai Customs has dismissed the allegations as “false,” “calculated,” and “a deliberate tactic to pressure officials,” issuing a detailed clarification on the issue. Meanwhile Wintrack’s founder Prawin Ganeshan, in turn, rejected the response, further accusing the government department of “cooking up stories” to save itself.