Industrialist Naveen Jindal on Friday congratulated Tata Sons Chairman Ratan Tata after Tata Sons officially acquired the control of Air India. Jindal, the chairman of Jindal Steel and Power Limited, said that the government ‘should have never ventured into the business of operating airlines.’
“Congratulations @RNTata2000 ji, @TataCompanies on winning the Air India disinvestment bid. Govt should have never ventured into the business of operating airlines, Air India should have always remained with the Tata Group,” the JSPL chairman tweeted.
Congratulations @RNTata2000 ji, @TataCompanies on winning the Air India disinvestment bid. Govt should have never ventured into the business of operating airlines, Air India should have always remained with the Tata Group???? https://t.co/HD74b5VtGC
— Naveen Jindal (@MPNaveenJindal) October 8, 2021
Ratan Tata on Friday had taken to social media to write an emotional note for gaining control of Air India back after eight decades. The veteran industrialist had written, “The Tata Group winning the bid for Air India is great news. While admittedly it will take great effort to rebuild Air India, it will hopefully provide a very strong market opportunity to the Tata Group’s presence in the aviation industry.”
Ratan Tata had said this was an emotional moment as he wrote, “On an emotional note, Air India, under the leadership of Mr. JRD Tata had, at one time, gained the reputation of being one of the most prestigious airlines in the world.”
He had added, ‘Tatas will have the opportunity of regaining the image and reputation it enjoyed in earlier years. Mr. JRD Tata would have been overjoyed if he was in our midst today.”
Ironically, Air India was originally known as Tata Airlines before the Indian government took control of the company in 1953, six years of independence from British rule. JRD Tata, however, remained its chairman until 1977.
Tuhin Kanta Pandey, the top bureaucrat at India’s Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, said that the Tatas had made a bid for Rs. 18,000 crore to acquire debt-ridden India’s national carrier. As part of the deal, the Tata Group will pay off Air India’s Rs. 15,300 crore debt and pay Rs. 2,700 crore to the government.
