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Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Vodafone CEO Nick Read says remarks on Indian joint venture distorted, apologises to government The letter was written after govt officials expressed displeasure over the tone and tenor of Nick Read’s comment. By Anandita Singh Mankotia, ET Bureau.

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NEW DELHI:Vodafone Group CEO Nick Read apologised to the Indian government for his strong comments regarding the company’s joint venture, saying his remarks were distorted.

“The coverage in India has been distorted and I apologise for the impression that the coverage conveys. It doesn’t accurately represent my comments,” Read said in a letter to the Prime Minister, telecom minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and senior government officials.



Read reiterated the company’s desire to continue operations in India and appreciated “the setting up of the committee of secretaries to look into potential remedies and their considerable effort.”

The letter was written after top government officials expressed disapproval and displeasure over the tone and tenor of Read’s comments on Tuesday, a senior official told ET.

“I would like to express my gratitude to the Indian government for designing a relief package in the light of the recent AGR (adjusted gross revenue) judgment and the financial stress the telecom industry is undergoing,” the CEO wrote in the letter, which ET reviewed. Explaining his earlier statements in London, made while declaring the company’s quarterly results,


Read said that he had come to India and had engaged with the Indian government and felt the deep desire on the part of the government to help. “The point I made was that the situation in India had reached a critical stage,” he said,  ..

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