New Delhi : In October 2014 , when Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew to Mumbai to inaugurate Ambani owned hospital, the nation saw India’s executive head rubbing shoulders with India’s richest man. However within the next few months there has been a sea change in Ambani-Modi relations. A sequence of events unfolding on the Rajpath shows that all is not well between Mukesh Ambani and the Modi Government.
One of the reasons could be the growing influence of Gautam Adani in the Prime Minister’s Office . Another could be the increasing closeness of Modi with Mukesh’s estranged younger brother Anil Ambani . However there are other serious issues too which have apparently distanced Mukesh with Prime Minister and his prime team. India Samvad spoke to several corporate heads and top bureaucrats in the Government to find out the five top reasons why Mukesh Ambani is not happy with Modi Government.
REASON #1 MODI GOVERNMENTS STAND ON ARBITRATION IN LONDON
The recent issue is international arbitration in London over western offshore fields. The Modi government had been insisting with Mukesh Ambani to withdraw the case from London where Indian government is also a party. However instead of withdrawing the matter Reliance has aggravated the issue with filing some more queries abroad. The decision has further irked the Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a close aide of Modi.
REASON 2..MODI GOVERNMENT DROPPED NET ON A RELIANCE MAN
Sources said that Mukesh Ambani was also unhappy when a senior Vice President of Reliance was booked in an espionage case relating to Petroleum Ministry. Mukesh was of the view that such ‘espionage’ matters were routine as Corporates were procuring policy papers from different ministries for the past so many years. However Reliance and Essar were targeted by the NSA while Adani group was ignored. Adani has interests in energy sectors and his team had been involved in laying its hands on confidential policy documents. However despite evidence with police, Adani’s men snooping in the corridors of power were blatantly ignored.
REASON #3…MUKESH ANNOYED WITH PETROLEUM MINISTER’S ATTITUDE
Another reason which annoyed Ambani were the deliberate delays by the Petroleum Ministry in fixing the gas price. Mukesh Ambani who hitherto considered Modi as part of the Gujrati fraternity was disappointed when Dharmendra Pradhan did not entertain senior officials of Reliance for hearing them over gas controversy. Moreover the government hiked the gas price to make matter worse for the Reliance.
REASON #4…MODI GOING OUT OF THE WAY FOR GAUTAM ADANI
Mukesh Ambani who was a frequent flier to New Delhi in days of Manmohan Singh is now seldom seen at the Raisina Hills. Sources said that Mukesh was even reluctant to accompany Modi along with business delegation at recent foreign trips of Prime Minister Modi. Sources said that Mukesh is of the view that the manner in which Modi is promoting Adani is sending wrong signals in the Indian corporate sector.
REASON #5.. MODI DELIBERATELY PROMOTING ANIL AMBANI
Another reason of Mukesh being unhappy with the PMO is the promotion of Anil Ambani by Modi and his team of bureaucrats. Anil accompanied Modi to recent trips in France where the younger Ambani was eyeing on certain defence deals facilitated by the government in name of ‘Make in India’ . “ Mukesh is of the view that recent deal of Anil to take over the offshore indian giant Pipa Vav was in a way to oblige Narendra Modi. Pipa Vav was owned by a gujarati businessman said to be close to Modi.The company was in loss and by buying a majority stake Anil obliged Prime Minister’s man,” said a source in Shiping Ministry.
:: By Deepak Sharma as Published in indiasamvad.co.in
