KG gas row: Govt to adopt softer tone in apex court

New Delhi: The Centre on Tuesday decided to shed much of its belligerence in the Supreme Court in the RILRNRL battle over sharing of the KG basin gas and instead focus only on the core issue of the production sharing contract (PSC) between it and RIL and the pricing of the gas.      It has decided to file a clarificatory affidavit in the SC on Wednesday in its independent appeal in the row between Mukesh Ambani's RIL and Anil Ambani's RNRL, sources in the petroleum ministry said.      The move comes after the ministry realised that it had made unnecessary statements like "the Memorandum of Understanding and family agreement between Mukesh's RIL and Anil's RNRL are null and void in the face of the enormous national interest involved in the distribution of natural gas''. It has also decided not to lay stress on its earlier statement that "RIL and RNRL have appropriated, through the MoU, in a surreptitious and unauthorised manner the entire gas, treating the same as their personal and family property''.      Importantly, however, it has decided to stick to its core argument—the issues relating to sharing of gas between the government and RIL and that the pricing would be governed by the PSC and the decisions of the empowered group of ministers (EGoM). No interest in upsetting '05 Ambani deal: Govt to tell SC  New Delhi: In the clarificatory affidavit it is planning to file in the Supreme Court on the KG gas row on Wednesday, the petroleum ministry will attempt to set right a technical oversight made in the appeal filed on July 18.      The Centre had forgotten to seek leave of the SC to file the special leave petition (SLP) which was necessary as it was not a party before the Bombay high court but only an intervener. Besides, it will make it clear in the affidavit that it was not interested in "upsetting'' the 2005 family agreement between the Ambani brothers or the MoU between RIL and RNRL.      In its plea filed on July 18, the Centre had sought the quashing of the Bombay HC's June 15 judgment. It had said that natural gas was meant for industrialisation of the entire country and not for the individual gains of the ventures owned by the Ambanis. "The national economy cannot be allowed to be held hostage by the Ambanis,'' it had added.      In its affidavit before the SC on July 17, RIL had virtually supported the government's stand that there could not be any bilateral agreement between RIL and RNRL for supply of gas as it was subject to the decision of the Centre. However, RNRL had contested this stand and sought the implementation of the Bombay HC order upholding the family agreement on sharing of gas.