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New Delhi, Jan. 11 (PTI): Satyam’s rivals today said they would not poach clients from the firm but would not say “no” if they were approached.

“We have already announced that we will not poach any Satyam employee. We will not proactively approach their clients and customers either, but clients have to decide for themselves and they have the right to choose their partner at work,” Infosys HR director Mohan Das Pai said.

According to Wipro CFO Suresh Senapathy, “I can’t say no to customers if they come to me with more business. We already have customers which are common with Satyam. If they are giving us more business, we will not say no. It is definitely creating problems for customers.”

Infosys and Wipro are India’s No. 2 and No. 3 infotech firms. TCS is ranked first.

Analysts said over half a dozen rivals of Satyam have started exploring ways to take over the business from its various clients.

Satyam is likely to see its clients as well as employees deserting it soon because of the competitive wooing by rivals, while top IT firms such as Infosys will continue to shore up their market share, analysts at Forrester Research said in a report.

“Large and small clients will look to other suppliers they have worked with as an immediate fallback position. More than half a dozen providers have already called Forrester to discuss competitive strategies for taking over business in joint accounts,” it said.