We don't lobby, no need to legalise lobbying in India: CII

NEW DELHI: Amid the ongoing debate on the role of lobbyists in India, leading industry chamber CII today said its functioning is different from that of a deal maker and there was no need to follow the US for licensed lobbying in the country.

"We are not lobbyists, we are advocates... (We) help build policy framework and perform advocacy work," CII's newly elected President, Hari S Bhartia, told PTI.

Earlier, another industry chamber, FICCI, had expressed similar views, saying there was no need for legalised system of lobbying in the country on the lines of the US.

On whether the government should introduce legalised-lobbying, he said: "We don't need anything like license for lobbying. We work with the government very closely. We are partners."

On this issue, FICCI President Rajan Mittal told PTI after taking charge of the chamber that, "The government's job is to be a facilitator; that's what they should do and if they they do that there is no room for any lobbyist... If you (government) open avenues, remove obstacles and roadblocks, why should you have a lobbyist?"

The role of lobbyists had come in for an intense discussion in Parliament, with Opposition parties stalling proceedings on a few occasions following reported conversations between a lobbyist and Telecom Minister A Raja on the 2G spectrum issue.

Replying to queries by the leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, Home Minister P Chidambaram had said, "We will have to consider what to do with lobbyists. These are grave issues to be addressed. We take the point. But we will address these issues. But let us not assume that the whole government is run by lobbyists."

Bhartia said there was a huge difference between industry chambers and lobby groups, who are basically deal-makers.

"Deal-making is not transparent. No, we don't do lobbying... Industry chambers look at the complete and fair interest of the industry," he said.

"We are doing advocacy of business... Most of the time, we work on policy level to really unshackle the potential of business," Bhartia said.