By IANS,
New Delhi : Amid the controversy over the leaked tapes of corporate lobbyist Niira Radia, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Salman Khurshid said Tuesday that lobbying was a part of the democratic system but its illegitimate use should be curbed.
“When you talk of lobbying and PR (public relations) – these are areas that are part of democratic system. But their illegitimate use or their use to subvert corporate governance is something that we should certainly look at,” Khurshid told reporters on the sidelines of the inaugural session of the second India Corporate Week here.
He said the government had nothing to hide on the phone tapping issue and was committed to bring more transparency in corporate governance.
“Corporates should be reassured that there is no question of hiding anything, running away and not expressly and transparently explaining why something is done and the extent to which the privacy has to be protected, information has to be protected,” the minister said.
Leaked conversations of Radia have revealed her links with politicians, businessmen and mediapersons.
Unlike many Western countries like the United States where lobbying is a big established industry, it has no legal status in India.