In various intrerviews given to Indian media on Sunday, Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy has responded to former HR head Mohandas Pai's criticism that the company. founders were blocking the chances of professionals.

�We must be very kind to him (Pai) because at times we all lose our rational thinking and make an emotional statement. After all, we have to be very kind and forgiving,� he said.

The he said Pai lost out because of the company's HR policies, which were incidently shaped by the man who is complaining now.

�We have a programme, iRace, which is an HR module for promotions and growth. In that, we have clearly said that with other things remaining equal, the person who has had a longer tenure will be promoted. This system was championed by the director-in-charge of HR (Pai). So, I am not saying anything that is different,� he said.

�If there are two people who are as capable as each other, how will you choose one of them? Both are equal in all respects. So, you have to choose the experienced one, and that�s what we have done,� he said.

He further defended founders with Businessline:

Speaking to Business Line, Mr Murthy said critics do not realise the sacrifices the founders and their respective families made while building the company. �There are many people who comment on founders versus professionals. Unfortunately, none of them knows the kind of sacrifice the founder professionals made in the beginning.�

Explaining the hardship the founders and their families underwent in the early days of the company, he said, �Their wives cooked food for the employees, their wives carried out secretarial jobs while they lived on $250 a month in the US, and had to be away from their children. So, I think it is very easy to criticise and comment about founders and non-founders.�