"Toxic And Hate Monger": Mohandas Pai Slams Hotmail's Sabeer Bhatia For His Remarks On India's GDP

Former Infosys CFO Mohandas Pai has hit back at Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia for his post questioning whether Indians could feel the impact of the country becoming the fourth-largest economy after surpassing Japan. It all started after Mr Bhatia shared a video showing slumps, poor drainage systems and even white foam that forms in Delhi's Yamuna, causing concern each year. "We overtook Japan in GDP......but can you feel it in your pocket? Growth without distribution is just inflation in disguise," he wrote in the caption of the post. 

Reposting the X post, Mr Pai called Mr Bhatia an "economic refugee" and said that he has no standing to comment on the country's progress since he left the country years ago. "Man Sabeer Bhatia you are an economic refugee, left India long ago. Good riddance to bad rubbish. You had no role in India's progress. So stop pontificating and shut up. We will grow India and build our future. We do not need you. You are toxic and a hate monger," he wrote. 

Man @sabeer you are an economic refugee, left India long ago. Good riddance to bad rubbish. You had no role in India's progress. So stop pontificating and shut up. We will grow India and build our future. We do not need you. You are toxic and a hate monger. https://t.co/ETpI4ViUuy

— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) May 30, 2025

In his post, Mr Bhatia spoke about the quality of life in India. "The reason I have come out and criticised the overall GDP over that of Japan is for this reason. I have been getting a lot of backlash on my Twitter account but I'm still doing it because I love India and I love each and every one of you. I really care about India and I want it to be an India that improves the lives of all of its citizens, especially the ones right at the bottom of the pyramid. If we can change their lives, all the other numbers automatically take care of themselves," he said in the clip. 

The Hotmail co-founder also listed how he thinks India can be better. He believes that real progress lies in mass education and empowering people through critical thinking. "Just mass educate the entire population of the country. Today, that is possible with the help of AI. But if we stick to rote learning, memorisation, and chasing exam scores, that is completely useless," he said. 

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Meanwhile, Mr Bhatia and Mr Pai's X interaction has sparked discussion online, with many users agreeing with the former Infosys CFO. 

"Dear @sabeer, you were a hero to us when we were young, you sold the story of the great American dream with the sale of #Hotmail. However, we are now through with Nostalgia. There are better role models for us here in India. More humble, more giving back to Indian society. I believe they are the real heroes we Indians admire because they did what you couldn't here. So, please stop this narrative, do some real work here in India. Do #meaningful #real. Start a #fund," wrote one user. 

"I get your point, Sabeer, and improvement in GDP per capita growth will happen once we realise India's full potential across services and product space. So, let's be optimistic, support the movement, and celebrate the milestone without losing momentum," commented another. 

"You should have stayed back and contributed to growth and distribution," expressed a third user.