For a conglomerate that has just initiated the search for a successor for its incumbent chairman, the Tata Group on Monday was drawn into Potential candidates for Ratan Tata's place giving an initial description of its new forthcoming leader by insisting on neutrality as a major parameter for the ion.

The Tata Group is an Indian group and we should not be looking at it as a Parsi group. The successor should be the right person and not anti-Parsi or pro-Parsi ,” chairman Ratan Tata told shareholders at the annual general meeting of Tata Chemicals. This is the first time that Mr Tata spoke publicly about the succession issue.

The Tata Group, which is majority controlled by the Parsi community through various charitable trusts, has always chosen to talk less about its ties to the religion. The trusts own equity stakes in Tata Sons, the group holding company, and hence form an integral part of the decision-making process in the conglomerate. Full Story