The Union Textiles Minister, Mr Dayanidhi Maran, refuted allegations that he forced the Aircel founder, Mr C. Sivasankaran, to sell his stake in the company to a Malaysian firm. “Mr Sivasankaran is not a millionaire. He is a multi-billionaire. No one can force anyone to sell the [his] business,” he said at a hurriedly convened media conference here today that lasted less than five minutes.
“I have never had to force anyone to sell their business and moreover let me tell you if someone feels forced they could have gone to the courts and got a remedy to it,” he told correspondents outside his house in the upscale Boat Club locality of Chennai.
Mr Sivasankaran had earlier in the day reportedly told the Central Bureau of Investigation that his applications for licences were rejected when Mr Maran was the Union Telecom Minister in 2004 during the UPA-1 regime. This forced him to sell his company to Maxis, whose owner is considered to be close to Mr Dayanidhi Maran and his brother, Kalanidhi, promoter and majority shareholder of Sun TV Network.
Mr Maran handed out a bunch of newspaper clippings saying, “The paper clippings I have given to you clearly prove that this particular company [Aircel] was parading itself much before I even became a minister.”
Mr Maran started his brief speech saying, “I am not going to react to any speculation at this moment. Moreover, I am not trying to avoid you.” He further said, “please understand that this [issue] is more than 6/7-year-old history, which I myself have to familiarise with before giving the facts to you although most of your channels are trying to make a story today saying that I forced, arm-twisted, strangulated a person {Mr Sivasankaran} to sell his business to another person.
“It is sad that today when I am accused the media wants to judge me. I also have to put my facts and I also have more facts which I, if needed, will address the appropriate authorities and prove my innocence,” said Mr Maran.