Deliberate effort to discredit Amazon’s biz in India, says Amit Agarwal

Deliberate effort to discredit Amazon’s biz in India, says Amit Agarwal

REUTERS/Pascal Rossignol

E-commerce major Amazon.com Inc.’s India arm has been in the news after allegations of preferential treatment to two of its sellers and circumventing foreign direct investment (FDI) laws resurfaced. Amazon and rival Walmart-owned Flipkart are also being investigated by regulators for alleged anti-competitive practices and predatory pricing, among other charges. Amazon has committed around $6.5 billion to its India business. In an interview, Amazon’s global senior vice-president and India head Amit Agarwal spoke about the allegations, its large seller base and long-term strategy. Edited excerpts: