Tata's ''remarks'' on Mukesh Ambani home sparks controversy
Monday, 23 May 2011, 15:42 IST
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Tata's ''remarks'' on Mukesh Ambani home sparks controversy
London/Mumbai: Ratan Tata's purported remarks expressing surprise at fellow industrialist Mukesh Ambani living in a billion-dollar mansion in Mumbai has sparked off a controversy today. The Tata group Chairman was quoted by London's Times newspaper as having said, "It makes me wonder why someone would do that. That's what revolutions are made of. The person who lives in there should be concerned about what he sees around him and [asking] can he make a difference. "If he is not, then it's sad because this country needs people to allocate some of their enormous wealth to finding ways of mitigating the hardship that people have." Tata, who bought the British steel maker Corus and car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) said, the widening gap between the rich and the poor in India worried him. "We are doing so little about the disparity. We are allowing it to be there and wishing it away." However, Tatas disputed the reported attribution to its chairman, saying that the comments were taken out of context and factually incorrect. "We would also like to clarify on stories in Indian media regarding Ambani's home. The report is out of context and factually incorrect. Tata's comments on wealth are in the larger context of the growing disparity in the society. The comments seem to have been deliberately sensationalised. "There have been words, individuals and statements that have not been mentioned by Mr Tata during the course of the interaction which are being attributed to him. "We have already registered our protest with the concerned publication and will continue to pursue measures against the incorrect impressions being sought to be created," a spokesperson of Tata Sons said in a statement. Rubbishing media reports on Tata group chief Ratan Tata's comments on the 27-storey residence of Reliance Industries' chairman Mukesh Ambani, a statement issued by the company said the story was "out of context and factually incorrect". "This is with reference to stories in the Indian media today. The stories are based on an interaction of Tata with Times UK. The news item is misleading and mischievous. At the onset we would like convey our disappointment at the attempt to sensationalise and replay conversations out of context," the statement by a company spokesperson said. "We would also like to clarify on stories in Indian media regarding Ambani's home. The report is out of context and factually incorrect," the statement said. The Times quoted Tata as saying: "It makes me wonder why someone would do that," in reference to Ambani's multi-storeyed residence Antilla in south Mumbai. "The person who lives in there should be concerned about what he sees around him and can he make a difference," the paper quoted Tata as saying. The report further cited him as saying: "If he is not, then it is sad because India needs people to allocate some of their enormous wealth to finding ways to mitigate the hardship that people have." "We are doing so little about the disparity. We are allowing it to be there and wishing it away," the newspaper report added. The Tata spokesperson said that Ratan Tata's comments on wealth were in the larger context of the growing disparity in the society and the "comments seem to have been deliberately sensationalised". "There have been words, individuals and statements that have not been mentioned by Mr. Tata during the course of the interaction which are being attributed to him. We have already registered our protest with the concerned publication and will continue to pursue measures against the incorrect impressions being sought to be created," the statement added. Reliance Industries, however, declined to comment on the issue. Contacted, a company official said that the company will not commenting on the same. In the statement, the company also denied Ratan Tata had calling the British employees as "lazy" in the reference to Tata-owned companies like Corus and Jaguar Landrover there. "We wish to make clear The Times claims' that Mr Tata said British managers were 'lazy' is misrepresentation. At no stage in the interview did Tata make this comment." "In the interview, Tata speaks about the management ethos of Corus and Jaguar Landrover at the time of acquisition. He says that managers' work ethic at that time was not to 'go the extra mile' and to leave early on Friday afternoons," the statement said. "The comments were not about the company managers today and Tata makes clear in the interview that new management at Corus and Jaguar Land Rover has eliminated those practices," it clarified. The Tata group took over steel maker Corus in 2006 and car maker Jaguar Land Rover in 2008 to become the biggest manufacturing employer in Britain.
Source: PTI