Jio Seeks TRAI Action Against Airtel, Vodafone-Idea For Inciting Public By Portraying It Anti-Farmer

In its letter to the telecom regulator, Jio has sought for strict action against the two entities, claiming that both are retorting to unethical ways to spread false rumours.

(Representative Image/ Getty)

New Delhi: In a interesting corporate tussle amid the ongoing farmer's protest,  Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Jio on Monday approached to the Telecom Regulator Authority of India (TRAI) seeking actions against its counterparts Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea for reportedly carrying out unethical and anti-competitive mobile number porting campaign.   In its letter to the telecom regulator, Jio has sought for strict action against the two entities, claiming that both are retorting to unethical ways to spread false rumours that Reliance stands to gain from the new agriculture laws against which farmers in the country are aggressively protesting. In a letter to Secretary, TRAI, Reliance Jio said its letter was in furtherance of its letter of September 28, 2020 "highlighting the unethical and anti-competitive MNP (mobile number portability) campaign being run by Airtel and VIL to capitalise on the ongoing farmer protests in northern parts of the country". "We submit that despite the above submissions, these companies continue to remain directly/indirectly involved in supporting and furthering the insinuations and false and frivolous rumours of Reliance being an undue beneficiary of the farm laws, for unethical pecuniary benefits in the form of induced porting of RJIL customers," the letter said. It said that Airtel and VIL "remain unabated in pursuing this vicious and divisive campaign through its employees, agents and retailers". Jio, it its letter to TRAI, also alleged that both Airtel and VIL are inciting the public by making preposterous claims that migrating Jio mobile numbers to their networks would be an act of support to farmers' protests. As per reports, the letter was accompanied by pictures of "misleading and inciteful campaign" across Punjab and other northern states. The letter said the campaign is not limited to northern states and "this false propaganda" is being spread across the country to get some additional MNP port-ins. The letter also contained "such campaigns in other states of the country like Maharashtra". Meanwhile, farmer leaders on Monday went on a daylong hunger strike and their colleagues demonstrated in different parts of the country to push for a rollback of the new farm laws. On Day 19 of the protest at Delhi's border points when agriculturalists from multiple states in the north intensified their movement, particularly at Delhi's gateways, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government is engaging with them to decide on the next date of talks deadlocked after five rounds.