Assam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has thanked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for "championing the cause of deprived workers" after an audio clip of her lashing out at SBI chairman Rajnish Kumar went viral, triggering a major controversy. "Don't tell me you are the largest bank. You are a heartless bank. SLBCs (State Level Bankers' Committees) don't function like this," she is heard as saying.