Reliance India Limited Chooses Youtube as a Medium to Respond to Accusations

The controversy surrounding Arvind Kejriwal's allegations regarding RIL accepting unauthorised favors from a Gujarat minister is seeing a new development. Reliance Industries resorted to a more direct and mass­ appealing means of social media in order to counter the claims by the AAP leader in an open rally on March 7.

He had claimed that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had made Ambani family's son­-in­-law Saurabh Patel, the minister for energy, petrochemicals and mining owing to his close relations with Mukesh Ambani. The video has been circulated by the business house's corporate communication team which has an anonymous person making the point clear in a 3­minute long video.

It states that the allegations are baseless, totally uncalled for and simply meant to mislead people. However, the video does not mention Kejriwal or Patel.

"The statement is fraught with poor knowledge of the constitutional scheme and is aimed only to misinform. The concerted action of the parties... has caused injury to our unblemished record of service to the economic well­being of India," mentioned the email that was shared along with the video link. It was also quoted as saying, "A strange and irresponsible statement by a political leader at the India Today Conclave on March 7, 2014 was aired live and placed on the social media. It is therefore, incumbent upon us to place the record straight. Accordingly, a video release is being shared," it said.

It went on to defend further that Oil refining is a deregulated business and any entity can set up a refinery. Also, RIL has no mining business in Gujarat. Therefore, all the power used by its units in the state come from captive or self generated power plants and not from state grid which makes it clear that the allegations of ministers extending favours to Reliance in gas, petroleum, energy and mining businesses are baseless.

What we think?

It is great to see a brand’s corporate communication department using Social Media so innovatively to respond to a nationwide query. It is, in fact, a smart strategy to address the masses in a cost effective way, also a sure shot viral news that has caught fire in media. Social Media surprises us in every way, each day with the ability it possesses to reach out to online users.