By IANS
Washington : The Coca-Cola company says that it was “absurd” to suggest that the decision of the University of Illinois not to renew its contract was due to factors other than business.
“To suggest that the State of Illinois made its decision on factors other than business ones is absurd,” Diana Garza Ciarlante, a spokesperson for Atlanta based beverage company said Monday responding to allegations that Coca-Cola had lost its pouring rights because of its “unethical practices in India and globally.”
“This is another irresponsible attempt on the part of India Resource Centre to claim some level of legitimacy where it clearly has none,” Ciarlante said in an e-mail response to IANS.
“The Coca-Cola company has created severe water shortages around its bottling operations across India, and one of its largest bottling plants has been shut down by the government because of pollution,” the India Resource Centre had alleged.