India, Oct. 11 -- A few days ago, Noel Tata, the owner of the sprawling Tata Group, a few trustees of the powerful Tata Trusts, which owns a huge majority in the holding firm, Tata Sons, and senior management met Home Minister Amit Shah, and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Eyebrows were raised, and tongues wagged over this unusual Government's interference in the internal affairs of a corporate empire. However, one needs to remember two things before making such comments. In the recent past, this Government, and the ones before it, have inserted their feet inside boardrooms. Second, ever since its birth more than 150 years ago, the Tata empire has either sought or got official help to both survive, and thrive.

Two decades ago, when ...