India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal used a remark about long work hours while urging Dutch firms to invest in India, drawing online criticism reported by NDTV Profit and India Today.
At the India–Netherlands Business Forum in The Hague on Monday, Oct. 26, Goyal said, “Nobody in India will tell you it’s five o’clock.” He added that no Indian would remind an employer that it was the weekend, according to an NDTV video.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s official account of the visit did not mention the remark. It described a forum focused on investment prospects and areas for cooperation between the countries.
The ministry named digital technologies, renewable energy, infrastructure, logistics, manufacturing, and research and development as potential areas for Dutch investment. Wider cooperation discussions covered semiconductors, critical minerals, green hydrogen, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
Goyal co-chaired the forum with Dutch Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Sjoerd Sjoerdsma. About 200 representatives of Indian and Dutch businesses attended, the ministry said. Goyal also met representatives of ASML, Nexperia, Power2X and Ingka Group and joined a roundtable with executives from 15 Dutch companies.
The ministry said Goyal’s official Netherlands engagements took place Oct. 25 and 26, accompanied by a delegation of about 60 people.
India and the Netherlands elevated their relationship to a Strategic Partnership in May and adopted a roadmap for 2026-2030. India and the European Union announced Jan. 27 that negotiations on a free trade agreement had concluded. In September, the European Commission proposed the agreement to the Council for signature and conclusion, while a European Parliament procedure file listed it in a preparatory phase.
