Ashneer Grover pokes BharatPe for 'snatching keys': ‘Ab nani yaad aayegi’

Ashneer Grover shot to internet fame after being appointed as a judge on Shark Tank India.

Ashneer Grover, the controversial founder of BharatPe, took a dig at the board members of the fintech firm, saying "snatching away the keys and running a corner shop are two completely different skills".

“So I just heard @bharatpeindia closed its first quarter of ‘degrowth’ and ‘maximum cash burn’ under able (sic) leadership of Rajnish Kumar and Suhail Sameer. ‘Chaabi chheenna and hatti chalana do alag alag skills hai. Ab Nani yaad aayegi (snatching away the keys and running a corner shop are two completely different skills, you'll now remember your grandmother)  - markets are the ultimate test and truth,” he tweeted.

Commenting on its last quarter’s results, BharatPe said it registered the “strongest quarter in its history”, with 4x growth to overall revenue in the past year. “On a sequential-quarter basis, the growth has been 30 per cent, despite the third wave of COVID-19. Comparing month-on-month, all our metrics have grown at the fastest pace…”

BharatPe, which allows shop owners to make digital payments through QR codes, last month, stripped Ashneer Grover of all titles and positions after a third-party audit alleged grave governance lapses under him.

So I just heard @bharatpeindia closed it’s first quarter of ‘degrowth’ and ‘maximum cash burn’ under able (sic) leadership of Rajnish Kumar and Suhail Sameer. ‘Chaabi chheenna and hatti chalana do alag alag skills hai !’ Ab Nani yaad aayegi - markets are the ultimate test & truth

— Ashneer Grover (@Ashneer_Grover) April 7, 2022

Grover, who had to go on leave in January following allegations of using abusive language against Kotak Mahindra Bank staff and of fraudulent practices, had accused Sameer of siding with the investors to remove him from office.

BharatPe first sacked Madhuri Jain which was followed by Grover resigning and the company stripping him of the co-founder and other titles over alleged "extensive misappropriation of company funds" by "creating fake vendors" to siphon money and using "company expense accounts" to "enrich themselves and fund their lavish lifestyles."

Delhi-based Grover shot to internet fame after being appointed as a judge on reality show Shark Tank India along with six other venture capitalists. The reality show allowed entrepreneurs to pitch their businesses to the sharks to get investment in return of equity.

He was the most popular “shark” or judge on the show. His punchlines and comments on the show gave fodder to memes on social media.

He has often made scathing remarks on the show. On one occasion, he told a contestant that he had never seen a product as disgusting as the one he was pitching. One of Grover’s line from the show – “yeh sab doglapan hai (all this is hypocricy)” –- is the one most visible in memes.