Nationalize MNCs like Amazon to protect Indian interests: Cong leader submits proposal to Govt
Bengaluru: Senior Congress leader and former KPCC Secretary, S Mohanadass Hegde, has submitted a detailed strategic policy proposal to the Government of India, urging immediate steps to either nationalize or strictly regulate multinational corporations (MNCs) such as Amazon and other Fortune 500 companies operating in India. The proposal highlights serious concerns over consumer rights, data privacy, economic manipulation, and digital sovereignty.
Hegde has argued that India’s digital and financial autonomy is under threat due to unchecked corporate practices by global tech and e-commerce giants. Drawing inspiration from India’s history of nationalizing key sectors like insurance, banking, and telecom, Hegde proposes a similar framework for handling MNCs that influence financial flows and consumer behavior in the country.
Key Issues Highlighted in the Proposal:
1. Amazon Pay Balance and Consumer Deprivation
The policy document flags Amazon Pay as a “hoax,” alleging that unrefunded balances—estimated to exceed ₹1,000 crore—are locked within the platform. According to Hegde, these funds can only be spent at select partners such as Tata 1mg, BigBasket, Ola, and Rapido, severely limiting the purchasing freedom of Indian consumers.
“Even if just one crore Indians have an average of ₹1,000 stuck in Amazon Pay, that amounts to ₹1,000 crore being retained by a private entity for speculative financial activity,” the proposal notes. Hegde adds that this directly affects India’s GDP, consumer dignity, and tax revenue. He also cited individual cases, including one where a buyer reportedly has ₹22,000 locked as a “gift balance” with Amazon for years.
2. Privacy Violations and Lack of Constitutional Oversight
Hegde warns that employees of MNCs in India are not bound by constitutional obligations towards Indian citizens. Instead, they follow internal corporate policies which often lead to:
Unseen notes and markings on customer profiles
Targeted digital advertising based on private data
Snooping on mobile apps and usage behavior
He alleges that such practices amount to criminal breaches of privacy, especially dangerous when it involves sensitive information from government employees and national institutions. He also draws parallels with India's action against WhatsApp post-mob lynching incidents, calling for a similar “zero-invasion policy” against companies like Amazon, Google, and Meta.
3. Need for a Unified National Digital Regulator
The proposal urges the creation of a Single National Digital Consumer Regulator to:
Mandate automatic refunds of unused wallet balances to user bank accounts
Enforce a blanket ban on subliminal advertising and product suggestions
Introduce a Consumer Data Protection Code rooted in Indian constitutional values
4. Indigenization of Corporate Practices
Hegde stresses that India must stop blindly adopting Western consumer models. He says corporate strategies must be aligned with India’s cultural, economic, and social priorities. As part of this indigenization drive, he has called for the rejection of harmful external practices such as:
Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Low-quality animal feed in dairy industry, imported from Western systems
Revisiting the Idea of Nationalization
The document points out that if companies like LIC, Indian Oil, and BSNL could be nationalized for public good, there is no reason why India cannot consider doing the same with foreign digital giants. Hegde says nationalization will:
Protect consumer rights
Increase transparency in governance
Help combat black money and hawala networks
Enable centralized auditing, quality control, and regulation
He proposes that all national procurement and government-linked services should function under a single brand with one audit system to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
Call for National Dialogue
Inspired by the article “The Big Idea” published on the website inthesetimes.com, the proposal concludes with a patriotic appeal to the central government to consider the document as part of a larger national conversation on Digital Sovereignty, Economic Justice, and Consumer Protection.
Hegde has requested that relevant ministries be directed to evaluate the concerns raised and initiate multi-stakeholder consultations.
“India is a unique democracy. Everything applicable to the home countries of multinational companies cannot be implemented here at their will. We need our own ethical capitalism rooted in Indian values,” he states in the concluding note.
What the Proposal Demands:
Refund of unutilized Amazon Pay balances to bank accounts
Zero digital surveillance and advertisement policies
A new Consumer Data Protection Code
Creation of a central regulator for digital consumer services
Long-term vision to nationalize or strictly regulate MNCs
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Sabarimala gold issue: UDF alleges CM's office interference, disrupts Assembly
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Alleging interference by the Chief Minister’s office in the SIT probe into the Sabarimala gold loss cases, the Congress-led UDF opposition disrupted Assembly proceedings on Tuesday, declaring that it would no longer cooperate with the House.
Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, V D Satheesan, informed Speaker A N Shamseer about the UDF's decision as the House proceedings commenced.
As the opposition protest continued in the House amidst the question hour, Congress MLA Anwar Sadath suddenly attempted to climb onto the Speaker's dais, leading to Shamseer stopping the assembly for around half-an-hour and leaving for his chambers.
Subsequently, when he returned at around 10 am, state Law Minister P Rajeev submitted in the House that the opposition was trying to subvert a proper probe into the Sabarimala gold case.
As the minister began speaking, the opposition started shouting and re-started its protest.
Rajeev alleged that it was the opposition which brought prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty into the picture to subvert the Global Ayyappa Sangam organised by the government.
"It is the opposition which knows who stole the gold from the shrine," he contended.
Dramatic scenes were witnessed in the House, after Shamseer said it was not right that some UDF MLAs tried to climb onto the Speaker's dais, as Sadath again tried to do the same and was pushed back by the watch-and-ward personnel of the assembly.
Subsequently, the watch-and-ward staff also forcibly pulled away the banner held up by the opposition MLAs in front of the dais.
Following the action by the watch-and-ward staff, more UDF MLAs tried to climb onto the dais, forcing the Speaker to again briefly adjourn the House as the ruling front legislators laughed at the actions of the opposition.
At 9 am when the House began, Satheesan alleged that the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) was not going anywhere and conditions were being created for more of the arrested accused in the two Sabarimala gold loss cases to come out on statutory bail.
He said that soon prime accused Unnikrishnan Potty and three CPI(M) leaders, also arrested in the case, would be out on statutory bail.
"All this is happening due to the pressure and interference from the Chief Minister's Office. So, we would like to inform you (Speaker) that we are intensifying our protest by bringing it into the House and we are not going to cooperate with the assembly proceedings," the opposition leader said.
Opposition MLAs trooped into the well of the House and held up placards -- some of which claimed CPI(M) was protecting those accused in the two cases and that the Left party leaders stole Lord Ayyappa's gold -- in front of the Speaker's dais, shouting slogans against the government.
The question hour of the House, subsequently, proceeded amidst the opposition protest.
Responding to the opposition protest, state Health Minister Veena George said that not cooperating with the House proceedings shows the irresponsibility of the UDF.
The opposition intensified its protest a day after a vigilance court on Monday granted statutory bail to former Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) executive officer D Sudheesh Kumar in two cases related to the loss of gold from the Sabarimala temple.
Former TDB administrative officers B Murari Babu and S Sreekumar are already out on statutory bail in the matter.
Sreekumar has not been made an accused in the second case involving the loss of gold from the doorframes of Sreekovil.
Potty has got statutory bail in one of the cases and once he gets the same relief in the other, he too will come out of jail.
The cases relate to the alleged loss of gold from the Dwarapalaka (guardian deity) idol plates and from the gold cladding on the door frames of the Sreekovil (sanctum sanctorum).
The SIT has made 12 arrests in the matter till date.
