Anil Ambani has stepped up an increasingly bitter gas dispute with his estranged elder brother by canvassing public opinion on the matter in the Indian press.

In a highly unusual move for corporate India, Anil Ambani this week launched a multi-million rupee advertising campaign in newspapers such as The Times of India, asking for the public to e-mail their views on a dispute with Mukesh Ambani over gas from the Krishna Godavari Basin.