Sahara Group Chairman Subroto Roy, whose absence from public view for over three months had fuelled intense speculation over his health, would make a 'public' appearance on Friday, his birthday, in a bid to establish he was perfectly well.
The appearance, however, will be through recorded video clippings.
When contacted, a Sahara spokesperson told PTI from Lucknow: "Please wait for a day. We will make a formal statement tomorrow."
Sources in the Rs 50,000 crore (Rs 500 billion) group, however, said that Roy has recuperated from his ailment emanating from long stressful working hours causing sudden surge of blood-pressure since March this year.
Roy has chosen to make his appearance on the occasion of his 58th birthday on June 10 which will be through recorded video clippings that would be sent to all the TV channels, sources said.
Roy's ill health had caused a spate of rumours about a variety of serious ailments and that the group was witnessing a succession war. Group spokespersons have denied such reports time and again.
Sources said that Roy has now been active for the last two weeks and a number of industrialists and film stars Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Prada have met him.
Sources said that in his recorded message to media, Roy would come down heavily on those who were spreading baseless rumours about him and urge government action against such people on the ground that such tendencies could unsettle lakhs of investors in group companies and depositors in its financial ventures.
Starting with a meagre capital of Rs 2,000 in 1978, Roy today heads one of the major Indian conglomerates having interests in financial sector and para banking, infrastructure and housing, aviation, media and entertainment and consumer products.
According to group's official Web site, the group had an asset base of Rs 50,000 crore in 2004.
Roy had earlier suffered from the same blood surge problem ten years ago and now he took resource to naturopathy for revival, sources said.
During the period of his recovery, Roy did not meet even his sons on the ground that he would not like to differentiate between them and members of Sahara Parivar.
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