Mukesh Ambani clarifies

23 Nov 2004

Mumbai: The chairman of Reliance Industries, Mukesh Ambani, issued a clarification on Monday on his statement last week that that there were 'ownership issues' in the corporate group. He stated that his remarks were 'torn out of context.'

"Dhirubhai Ambani has settled all ownership issues pertaining to Reliance within his lifetime," said Ambani.

Ambani has said all ownership issues are in the private domain; he has also said his reply has nothing to do with the family ownership in Reliance.

If ownership issues were to be settled through a division of shares of individual companies among the Ambani family, it would have mattered little to investors, but what if any settlement were to lead to carving up of the group businesses among the family members?

Or can his statement, that ownership issues are to do with the group's future businesses only, be taken at face value? These are the questions that are doing the rounds amongst investors.