NEW DELHI: Vijaypat Singhania thought he was keeping his billion-dollar Indian textile empire in the family when he gifted control of the Raymond Group to his son Gautam three years ago. But their relationship has disintegrated spectacularly since, with the father accusing the son of cheating him out of a exclusive apartment and of unceremoniously kicking him out of the company offices. Vijaypat now bitterly regrets his decision, which he claims was made because of “emotional blackmail”, marking the latest in a long long line of high-profile family feuds to scar corporate India. Use of force is New Delhi’s state policy, says former Indian foreign minister The 80-year-old transformed a small textile business into a household name in India, and the Raymond Group today claims to be the world’s biggest producer of high-quality worsted wool suits. It is yet another success story for one of South Asia’s great entrepreneurial families – different branches of the Singhania family have interests in cement, dairy and tech. Web Desk
