ROLE OF JIO IN POLITICS

readers of the national dailies The Times of India and the Hindustan
Times woke up to a full-page jacket advertisement with Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, dressed in a blue jacket, staring at them from under the
words Jio: Digital Life.

The advertisement for Reliance Jio, the second coming of Reliance

Industries in telecom, carried the words Dedicated to India and 1.2
billion Indians in bold type, followed by a short message:

In the journey of time, there come a few life changing moments. Our
honourable Prime Ministers inspiring vision of a Digital India is one such
movement. Jio is dedicated to realising our Prime Ministers Digital India
vision for 1.2 billion Indians. Jio Digital Life will give the power of data to
each Indian, to fulfill every dream and collectively take India to the global
digital leadership

The tribute-in-an-ad came a day after Mukesh Ambani, chairperson of

Reliance Industries, launched Reliance Jio in Mumbai with Bollywood
star Shah Rukh Khan by his side. There too Ambani, the richest man in
India, had voiced a short dedication to Modi.

Our Prime Minister Narendra Modis vision for Digital India is a life
changing moment, he said. Jio is a dedication to that Digital India
dream of the Prime Minister, his vision for the 1.2 billion people of India.

Headed by Ambanis daughter Isha and son Akash, both 24 years old,
Reliance Jios 4G services are touted to disrupt the telecom industry. It is
offering data services at as low as Rs 50 per GB, reportedly the lowest
data charge anywhere in the world, free voice calls along with free
roaming in India. According to Ambani, customers can show up with the
unique biometric-based Aadhaar card at a Jio store and get a SIM card
within 15 minutes.

A long time coming, Jio was expected to launch a media blitzkrieg. But
an ad with the prime ministers image? Social media was not amused. In
fact, it wondered if the usage of the image was even legal
According to The Emblems And Names (Prevention Of Improper
Use) Act, 1950, "...No person shall, except in such cases and under
such conditions as may be prescribed by the Central Government use...
for the purpose of any trade, business, calling or profession... any name
or emblem specified in the Schedule or, any colourable imitation thereof
without the previous permission of the Central Government or of such
officer of Government as may be authorised in this behalf by the Central
Government."

Of course, Reliance may well have received written permission from the
government to use Modi's picture, which would make it okay to do.
Previous matters in which this Act have come up have also suggested
some nuance in interpreting the law, as with Montblanc's use of
Mahatma Gandhi to sell pens a few years ago, resulting in a controversy.

The only caveat to the law is: "The name of pictorial representation of
Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
or the Prime Minister of India, except the pictorial use thereof on
calendars where only the names of the manufacturers and printers of the
calendars are given and the calendars are dot (sic) used for advertising
goods."

It should be noted that the advertisement came on a day when central

trade unions have called for a nationwide strike to protest against "anti-
labour policies" of the Modi government.

Meanwhile, the front page looks even more incongruous because on

Friday night, Modi who rarely gives one-on-one meetings is set to
appear in an interview given to Network18, a media company that
happens to be owned primarily by Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries
Limited.