Harsh Goenka uses harsh words for Hotmail's Sabeer Bhaita, says India doesn’t need sermons from those who packed up and left

A heated exchange recently erupted between Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia and billionaire Harsh Goenka over the use of the term ‘anti-national’. On July 31, 2025, Bhatia posted a sharp critique on social media, condemning how speaking the truth in India is often branded as "anti-national".

“Say India is unsafe for women - you’re anti-national. Question inflated economic numbers - you’re anti-national. Call out elected leaders’ lies - you’re anti-national. Mention lost aircraft - you’re anti-national. So if truth = anti-national… then who’s a national? The one who lies to you?” Bhatia wrote in an X post.

What did Harsh Goenka say?

Harsha Goenka in reply to to Bhatia’s post said, “India doesn’t need sermons from those who packed up and left,” questioning his right to comment from abroad.


“Living in California and lecturing a billion Indians back home? We live here. We vote, work, pay taxes. We love this country- and we’ll fix what’s broken. India doesn’t need sermons from those who packed up and left,” Goenka replied to Sabeer Bhatia.

Check Harsh Goenka's post:

Check Bhatia's post

In recent months, Sabeer Bhatia has sparked conversations on social media with his sharp criticism of India’s education system and economic progress. On June 10, Bhatia took to X to post: "Instead of hanging your head in shame that 415 million people in India survive on $3.10/day [approx. Rs 265/day], you brag about being the world's 4th largest economy. Shame on you."

Earlier this year, during an interview on the NNP podcast, the Hotmail co-founder said that instead of nurturing original thinkers, India is churning out an "army of useless kids" who are trained merely to follow instructions. “We live in a conformist society—people are often told, ‘Listen to others, do what they say’,” Bhatia said, questioning, “But why follow a path that’s already been walked?”

He further argued that the country’s education system is structured to create obedient workers rather than visionaries capable of challenging and transforming systems.