New Delhi: Giving credence to the buzz about corporatisation of the farm sector, Jio, the telecommunication arm of Reliance, has sought action against competitors Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel.
In a letter to the regulator, the Telecom Authority of India, Jio has accused Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel of resorting to a vicious tirade that it will somehow gain from the Centre's new farm bills. Both rivals have debunked the claim.
Jio claims to have received a large number of requests for porting out, wherein customers have said that the farm agitation is the sole reason for doing so, although they don't have any complaints or other issues related to its services. It has further claimed that both Airtel and Vodafone are directly or indirectly involved in reinforcing the "false and frivolous" rumours of Reliance being an undue beneficiary of the farm bills.
In response to the complaint, Airtel has written to TRAI describing the complaint as "outrageous" and "scurrilous". Vodafone Idea spokesperson said the company believes in ethical business practices.
BID TO WEAN AWAY FARMERS: Meanwhile, the government is coaxing farmers from various states to rally in support of the contentious farm laws, so that it can discredit the Punjab peasantry. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Monday tweeted that the office-bearers of the Akhil Bhartiya Kisan Samiti had met him in Krishi Bhavan. This is the fourth group of farmers which has extended support to the laws in the past two weeks.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who takes pride in calling himself a farmer, on Monday said the government is always ready to listen to the protestors who nurse false notions about agricultural reforms.
