![]() ![]() But that's because most of the media has blacked out the story despite the claim that the Fourth Estate is a guardian of the truth and a watchdog of democracy. The two scams haven't fused in public discourse. ![]() Sanghvi, in particular, wrote a column in the Hindustan Times, relying heavily on Radia, and going by two conversations, virtually eating out of her hand.īoth the 2G and the Radia tapes scandals show that India's precious public resources, belonging to the national commons, are being undersold or plundered through manipulation by venal businessmen and corrupt politicians, often with journalists' help. Here too, Radia coaxed or subtly pressured journalists to support Mukesh Ambani's view. One of their main objectives was to ensure that the now-disgraced A Raja would be given the telecommunications portfolio.Ī second issue was the June 2009 Bombay high court judgment on the dispute between the Ambani brothers over the pricing of natural gas from the Krishna-Godavari Basin. The conversations show that Radia, with her formidable networking skills and influence, tried to recruit Hindustan Times's Vir Sanghvi and NDTV's Barkha Dutt, among others, as mediators who would influence the distribution of key portfolios during the formation of the United Progressive Alliance ministry in mid-2009. They contain the most damaging evidence ever to have emerged of gross violations of ethics and political propriety by influential journalists. The 104 conversations, from which the transcripts are drawn, are not even 2 percent of the 5,851 calls tapped from Radia's phone now being analysed by official agencies. Most of those who have been taped haven't denied they are genuine. They are widely available in audio transcript format on the Internet.Īlthough their veracity isn't forensically established, they prima facie appear authentic. The conversations, wire-tapped by the Income Tax department on a tip-off by the Central Board of Direct Taxes, are part of the official record in the 2G case before the Supreme Court - and hence in the public domain. With the tapes out, Indian media is now running for cover, in the name of professional exigencies.Outlook and Open magazines have reproduced partial transcripts of telephone conversations between Niira Radia, a corporate lobbyist for the Tata and Mukesh Ambani groups, and several top journalists, industrialists and politicians, which show journalists playing political roles well beyond the legitimate bounds of their profession. Free all-expenses paid holidays to writers and campaigners are also doled out as part of the deal. Politicians also help out visiting scribes along with their families by providing government guest houses at cheap rates. The transcripts of conversations between Radia and journalists suggests that they expect return of favours, which come in different forms from free trips abroad to free stays at suites in plush 5-star hotels. The tapes are now a major cause for media embarrassment as it exposes how frequent hobnobbing with politicians had given them a taste of power and seats of influence. Radia’s phone lines were under surveillance by the Income Tax Department between 20 for a few months. The excerpted tapes, which have now been made public, were recorded between May 11 and July 11, 2009. ![]() ![]() While Sanghvi allegedly took notes from Radia on what he could point out in his weekly Sunday column of Hindustan Times even as Radia asked him to write against Reliance Group's Anil Ambani and the high court decision on the gas pricing issue.īarkha Dutt had allegedly assured Radia of getting ruling Congress party’s general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad to talk to the supremo of his party’s chief ally in the government M Karunanidhi to fix portfolios for the ally according to wishes of Karunanidhi’s daughter Kanimozhi. They are heard promising to fix things for Radia, who is known to be close to the sacked minister A Raja, and her clients besides her political cronies. Vir Sanghvi, editorial director of Indian national daily Hindustan Times and India’s television news channel NDTV’s group editor Barkha Dutt are apparently featured in the transcripts. Other Indian media houses have hushed it up. Two Indian magazines put the audio tapes and transcripts of conversations between corporate lobbyist Nira Radia of Vaishnavi Communications and her media friends on their websites. The 2G spectrum scam, which has snowballed into a major controversy involving Indian politicians and businessmen has now become hotter for journalists to handle as it allegedly involves two of their senior members. ![]()
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