After a failed bid to sell off India’s national airline Air India in 2018, the Modi government has issued a new expression of interest (EoI) on January 27, 2020. The new terms inviting bids are considerably lenient than the previous ones and have caused consternation in various circles. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Subramanium Swamy has likened the new terms as an attempt “to sell the family silver” and has threatened to challenge the new EoI legally.
The Modi government wants to sell Air India, Air India Express and Air India SATS (AISATS). This time the government has proposed to sell the entire airline which is completely owned by it. In 2018, it had proposed to sell a 76 per cent stake.
