Are the Ambanis facing a PR disaster? India’s ‘It’ family has been rocked by protests against Mukesh, Nita and Anant’s zoo, Jio phone boycotts – plus that Antilia bomb scare

May 18 , 2021

The Ambanis, from left to right: Akash, Anant, Isha, Nita, and Mukesh. Reuters

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) students protested Nita being invited to teach – but then the Ambanis and the university said reports about the invite were fake

Animal activists bashed Anant’s ‘world’s largest zoo’ plans after Reliance reportedly moved to acquire rare black panthers from a state-run establishment

The Ambani family is an Indian obsession. Usually this kind of fascination is reserved for Bollywood and cricket stars, but the Ambanis have transcended this glass ceiling, becoming the country’s “It” family. Whether because of Isha’s star-studded wedding or the heated spat between brothers Mukesh and Anil, the Ambanis have always had plenty of eyes on them.

But over the past few months, they’ve made headlines for all the wrong reasons. They could even be facing a PR crisis of a kind, and magnitude, that they’ve never had to endure before.

Here are four times they were under attack …

Protests against Anant’s zoo project

A black panther at Assam State Zoo. Photo: @assamstatezoo/Instagram

The family’s plans to build the world’s largest zoo were met with protests in some quarters.

In February, The Week magazine confirmed that the Ambanis would be building a 280-hectare (690-acre) zoo and animal rescue sanctuary called Greens Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Kingdom in Jamnagar, western India. The zoo is reportedly the pet project of Anant Ambani, and is expected to open in 2023.

Reliance Industries reportedly struck a deal to acquire two rare black panthers from the Assam State Zoo in Guwahati – a piece of news that met backlash from activists. According to Business Insider, activists gathered outside the Guwahati zoo to protest the transfer, and the Deccan Herald reported there were calls for an inquiry into the move.

Protests, boycotts and vandalism against farm laws

Activists burning effigies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani to protest against agricultural reforms in Siliguri in December 2020. Photo: AFP

The Ambani-run Reliance Industries has faced boycotts, vandalism and protests due to new farm laws in India, which have led to concerns that corporations will put farmers out of business.

In October, The National Herald reported that a farmers’ movement led by at least 31 farm organisations “captured” Reliance petrol pumps across India. They also boycotted Reliance-run Jio telecoms. A representative told the publication that the new laws facilitate Reliance’s entry into the farming sector, and that the boycotts were in protest of the corporatisation of agriculture.