Deora Hits Out At Ambani

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><root available-locales="en_US," default-locale="en_US"><static-content language-id="en_US"><![CDATA[Also Read: SC Sets Sept 1 Hearing Amidst the legal battle between Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries (RIL) and and Anil Ambani-led Reliance Natural Resources (RNRL) over gas from Kaveri basin, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora on Tuesday hit out at the Ambani brothers for fighting over a natural resource that belongs to the government and the people of the country. &quot;I am personally appalled and disgusted at how these two brothers are fighting over something that belongs to the government and the people of India, Deora told PTI. &quot;It does not belong to them,&quot; he added. Incidentally, Anil Ambani has written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh virtually accusing virtually the Oil Ministry of doing a volte-face on gas pricing, saying its stand in the Supreme Court was in total variance with what it had said in Parliament. Seeking protection against what he called the overt and covert attempts and &quot;partisan and biased approach&quot; of the Petroleum Ministry to intervene in a commercial dispute with RIL, Anil wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh offering to meet and explain the issues. The government in a separate petition filed last week in the Supreme Court has asserted its rights to fix gas prices and its utilisation. Deora's remarks come hours after Petroleum Secretary R S Pandey's comments on the gas dispute which invited a sharp reaction from Reliance Natural Resources. &quot;I am very very clear that the natural resource, like any other other resource, iron ore, uranium or coal, belongs to the government and not to Ambani brothers,&quot; Deora said. RNRL lambasted at Pandey's comments on the ongoing legal wrangles between the brothers, saying the government's petition is yet to be entertained in the apex court. Pandey said the government has not let Reliance Industries off the hook for signing a private MoU with a firm run by Anil Ambani Group to divide entire gas volumes from KG basin fields, thus holding industrial development to ransom. Mukesh Ambai led Reliance Industries and Anil Ambani Group company RNRL are fighting over price and terms gas supply from KG basins. (PTI)