Tata Sons to bid for Air India, 67 years after exit
New Delhi, Dec 14: Tata Group is seeking to board Air India again after nearly seven decades, with the salt-to-software conglomerate set to participate in the bidding process for the national carrier, sources said on Monday.
The last date for submission of Expression of Interest (EoI) for Air India is Monday.
At present, the Tata group is operating two airlines -- the full service carrier Visatara in association with Singapore and AirAsia India, for which it has collaborated with Malaysian airliners group AirAsia.
The Narendra Modi government has already taken one attempt to privatise Air India in the last three years, which came a cropper. However, the government re-initiated the disinvestment process of Air India early this year.
Sources said Tata Sons is "interested" in acquiring Air India and will meet the government deadline for expressing the same.
The holding and promoter firm of the Tata group companies has, however, not decided as yet whether it will go solo or bid through a partner, the sources said.
When contacted, Tata Sons spokesperson declined to comment.
An AirAsia India spokesperson, in response to a query sent to its Chief Executive Officer Sunil Bhaskaran, refused to comment.
"We would not be responding to the query," said the spokesperson.
A group representing as many as 209 Air India employees have also put in a bid for the national carrier, the airline's Commercial Director Meenakshi Mallik said.
"We submitted the bids today (Monday) morning for acquiring the full (entire 100 per cent stake) company," Mallik, who initiated the employees' participation, told PTI.
Earlier, a section of Air India employees said that they were looking to bid for the airline in partnership with a private equity fund and each employee was asked to contribute Rs 1 lakh towards the bid.
In January this year, the government invited bids for selling 100 per cent of its holding in Air India and its international budget arm Air India Express Ltd and 50 per cent in ground handling joint venture Air India SATS Airport Services Private Ltd.
As per the Air India EoI floated by DIPAM in January, of the airline's total debt of Rs 60,074 crore as of March 31, 2019, the buyer would be required to absorb Rs 23,286.5 crore, while the rest would be transferred to Air India Assets Holding Ltd (AIAHL), a special purpose vehicle.
On December 10, the government said that the interested entities are required to submit the physical bids within 15 days from December 14 -- the last date for submitting EoIs.
The Centre said it will intimate qualified interested bidders (QIBs) of Air India on January 5 next year, instead of the earlier decided date of December 29, 2020.
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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
