“Its dressed up”

As per the latest tape released by Outlook

Radia calls up Vir Sanghvi on June 20, 2009, the day before his Counterpoint column appears in HT. Following is transcript of the conversation

Nira: Hi

Vir Sanghavi: Hi… Nira…

Nira: Ya Ya

“Vir Sanghavi: Wrote it…“I’ve dressed it up as a piece about how public will not stand for resources being cornered, how we’re creating a new list of oligarchs…” See the Examples I have given is the court case which says that Mummy will decide its all in family… Why should our gas be decided by mummy… I have given the example of they deal that was struck on Sasun after samajwadi party supported the government and they went back on deal ..

Nira: Hmmm…

“Vir Sanghavi: ……and they went back to their old position…. I have given the example of how spectrum is being allocated

Nira: Hmmm…

Vir Sanghavi: and I has said that while people have certain tolerance to corruption in this country.. they have no tolerance for people cornering their assets and cornering our scarce resources and what will happen is this country will become a country run by oligarchs like Russia who no body can control and Manmohan Singh must act as he basically giving away the future of the country

Niira Radia: Very nice, lovely, thank you, Vir.

Sanghvi : It’s dressed up as a plea to Manmohan Singh, so it won’t look like an inter-Ambani battle except to people in the know.”

Nira: very Nice

Sanghvi : ok…

Please note that this conversation was recorded at 1620 Hrs and Vir Sanghavi published his said counter point article at 2129 Hrs.

After the first tape, Vir Sanghvi had published his defense in an article Setting the record straight. In his defence he says

My view is that to figure out what is actually going on behind the scenes, a journalist sometimes has to appear sympathetic and even, to string along his sources so that they reveal their ultimate motivation. (Why are they really talking to you? What kind of article do they want?).

Dear Vir, Do you also classify above conversation as “a journalist sometimes has to appear sympathetic and even, to string along his sources” . To us in Media Watch it looked like a student reading back a prose to teacher who has dictated it and looking happy that she has approved it.

In another tape Nira asks her associate to prepare the questions for Vir (Sanghvi) of HT since he has agreed to ask whatever questions they suggest. She says that Vir is starting a new series of interviews and he wants to start with Mukesh Ambani or Ratan Tata. She asks Yatish to mobilise all resources to draw up the questions.

Please also read “What kind of story do you want?”

New Radia Tapes nails Barkha Dutt

This entry to Media Hall of Shame should be read in continuation to be read Reply to Barkhas clarification in Radia Tapes

In her clarification on Radia Tapes  published in NDTV website under Barkha Dutt on the Allegations Against Her. She has put following in BOLD ALL CAPS

AT NO STAGE WAS I EVER ASKED TO PASS ON ANY MESSAGE TO INTERCEDE ON BEHALF OF A PARTICULAR MINISTER OR PORTFOLIO. NOT ONCE, WAS I ASKED TO "LOBBY" FOR A. RAJA. NOT ONCE WAS I ASKED TO CARRY ANY MESSAGE REGARDING HIM OR ANY OTHER APPOINTMENT.

Now the new Radiia tapes released by Outlook seems to have nailed this claim. In the Radiia tapes, Radiaa was heard telling a gentleman who seems to be Shankkar Aiyyar

"Congress ne to statement Thank God issue kar diya. Barkha ne karwaa liyaa us se. Ki it's not about individuals." "Haan woh to maine dekh liya. aa gya na Manish Tewari ka". 

English Translation of the above.

Congress has Thankgod has issued an statement. Barkha got it done saying its not about individuals …. Yes I have seen Manish Tiwaris statement

So its amply clear that Barkha did speak to someone fairly high in congress so high that she managed to get Manish Tiwari to make a statement

Wonder how Barkha will now justify this? 

You can hear the audio here 25-188819-0-17-20090522-091706

Screenshots & relevant congress statement at that time

If you cant defend.. Deflect

It seems the Radia Tapes has split Indian journalists right in middle. A group probably representing older generation is now advocating much needed radical corrective actions to bring repute back to once noble profession and prevent it becoming synonymous to worlds oldest profession. But surprisingly as this older generation tries to cleanse the system another influential section of Journalists, the armchair types who you mostly find in TV chat(they call it discussion programs) have closed ranks.

Media Watch sees Swapan Dasguptas Times of India  column Time to fight the cancer, not join the lynch mob in this context.

Knowingly or unknowingly, It seems that Swapan has completely missed the core issue surrounding the Radiia Tapes. In his naiveness, Swapan tries to explain the outrage as an misplaced anger of “lynch mob” “against India`s entire wealth-generation process” who according to him has shown “gritty determination to overcome a difficult, if not hostile, business environment”

Media Watch is surprised that Swapan who is a regular in twitter has missed the most trending topic in recent times. It didnot read #Ambanigate or #Ratangate but it was #BarkhaGate and #MediaMafia which was trending as number 1 topic in India. So the anger is not against the wealth generation process of business houses. It is not even against Radiia who most of us believe was just doing her job(rather efficiently). The popular anger is directed against a prominent group of media ‘celebrities’ who have overstepped their brief by miles and played fiddle to current day neros of India i.e corrupt politicians. Yes sir…. the anger is against Wealth Generation activities but not of business houses but of Media houses. In short,  the anger is against corrupt Media the fourth pillar of our democracy.

Lastly, Media Watch is taken back by the audacity of Swapan to call ordinary man rising in anger against deep rooted malice as Lynch Mob. It gets more painful considering the fact it is written in an article where he himself praises how commonman of India rose against the tyranny of British Rule. Perhaps if Swapan could move from dance floor (proximity to politics, business and the media) to the balcony, he will realize that there are no Lynch Mob here. He will find here a motley crowd of engineers, businessmen , housewife, student who want nothing but a better and just India. But then it donot surprise us as Swapan was among the first to use the term ‘Internet Hindu’ perhaps he just upgraded the much maligned Internet Hindus to Lynch Crowd.

I am not a doctor but common sense tells me that sometimes its best and safest treatment for malignant tumor is amputation.

Reply to Barkhas clarification in Radia Tapes

Dear Barkha, We at Media Watch thankyou for taking times to clarify your position wrt Radia Tapes expose. We think it’s a victory albeit partial to the relentless campaign by netizens . However, It would have been wise if you could have temporarily stepped down from your position until your name is cleared by an impartial investigation a stand often taken by you for politicians who are under scam radar.

In this article of Media Watch, we would like to analyze your response as something's donot addup or as supreme court would have said “there is something rotten” there

As a journalist, whose work has been consistently hard-hitting and scathingly critical of the ongoing 2G scam and the former Telecom Minister, I am astonished, angered and hurt to see the baseless allegations against me in sections of the media this week.

The first story regarding 2G scam appeared on December 11, 2008, on Raja’s main real estate front company, Green House Promoters. The details of other companies and hidden irregularities in the spectrum scam were published over the following days.

The Mint, a leading business daily, ran a front page comment Nov 11 2008 headed “Raja should be fired”, pointing out that decisions taken by A.Raja, the telecom minister, “have cost the government dear”. The Business Standard ran an editorial on October 31 headed “Licensed to make a killing”, and mentioned how spectrum had been “handed over” to a few “select” (another neat choice of words) firms.

We are fairly confident that as a Journalist you would have read and understood the implications of these revelations.

Your conversation with Radia working as Lobbyist for DMK happened on May 22, 2009, full 6 months after 2G scam came into public knowledge. But not once we repeat NOT EVEN ONCE, you brought this up during your conversation with Radia whose work for DMK would have resulted A. Raja being appointed as Telecom Minister. FYi, Raja was mentioned 8 times in your published conversation with Radia. Now isn't that strange coming from Journalist who claims to be “consistently hard-hitting and scathingly critical of the ongoing 2G scam and the former Telecom Minister”

The edited conversations between PR Representative Nira Radia and me have been headlined to suggest that I misused my role as a journalist to "lobby" for A. Raja, a man I have never met.

You as a journalist very well know now a days headlines rarely represent whats in the body of news. Even NDTV is not immune to this. You can look for several such examples in this blog itself. So you re just another victim. Our Sympathies

It may be true you may not have lobbied for Raja specifically. But per the Radia tape transcripts you seem to be providing a communication bridge between DMK and Congress which would have resulted in Rajas appointment as telecom minister and it is surprising that as a responsible journalist “consistently hard-hitting and scathingly critical of the ongoing 2G scam and the former Telecom Minister” you never brought up 2G scam?  

Allow us to quote some relevant portions of the  transcript

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time 10:47:33

RADIA: No, they wanted to; they didn’t want any infrastructure, that’s what Prime Minister said, so he said that’s why they give him labour, fertiliser, chemical---and telecom, IT, they said for Raja. So what has happened is, is that message not relayed to Karunanidhi?

BARKHA: Oh I see!

RADIA: They might have told some minion down the line or told Maran who is not relaying the truth.

BARKHA: I think they have told Maran.

RADIA: Yeah, now what they need to do is, they need to speak to Kani so she can set up the discussion with her father, because even the Prime Minister’s discussion was … she was the one who’s translating, and it was a very brief discussion for two minutes.

BARKHA: Okay.

RADIA: That we’ll try and work it out, and the let’s not you know take it a hasty easy decision. That’s the type of conversation that happened.

BARKHA: No, I’ll set it up as soon as they get out of RCR.

RADIA: What she saying is that, you know, that someone senior like Ghulam [Nabi Azad, senior Congress leader]---because he is the one who is authorised to speak. ….

BARKHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

RADIA: Right? Was to speak to her then she can tell her father that I have got this message from the Congress.

BARKHA: Theek hai, not a problem. That’s not a problem, I’ll talk to Azad---I’ll talk to Azad right after I get out of RCR [Race Course Road, presumably, the PM’s residence].

So atleast to a laymen like us here at Media Watch; you seem to have taken the responsibility of clearing the confusion between DMK and Congress (since a minion did not do proper job) knowing very well IT was for Raja!

By definition, the insinuation of "lobbying" implies either a quid-pro-quo of some kind or a compromise in how I have reported the story. As anyone who has watched my coverage of the ongoing 2G scam over the past year would know - to suggest either is entirely absurd.

QPQ can come in any sizes and shapes it can even be the “story exclusives” which directly contributes to reputation which in a way can be linked to several gains.  If I were a well paid Journo, my motivation would have been enhancement in reputation. Anyway, we at Media Watch have nothing to prove or disprove whether a QPQ was involved in this case.

Then your defense is your coverage of 2G scam. 2G scam is one largest of scam India has ever seen. According to CAG, It caused India a loss of 1.76 Lakh Crores. So my question is as a Top journalist in main stream media house could you have afforded not to cover it! Madam you had no choice but to cover it. So your defense that you have covered 2G scam is meaningless, your defence would have made sense if you had made any exclusive exposes on 2G scam. We have not heard of any.

As a matter of record, I never passed on any message to any Congress leader. But because she was a useful news source, and the message seemed innocuous, I told her I would. Ultimately, I did no more than humour a source who was providing me information during a rapidly changing news story.

Call us naïve, idealist dimwit but we tend to believe in what people say. If someone says I am going to talk to someone, we do believe he/she is telling the truth. Lets see what you told Radia

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time 09:48:51

BARKHA: Also, but, but the Congress needs to tell Karunanidhi that we have not said anything about Maran.

BARKHA: Okay. Let me talk to them again.

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time  10:47:33

RADIA: Yeah, now what they need to do is, they need to speak to Kani so she can set up the discussion with her father, because even the Prime Minister’s discussion was … she was the one who’s translating, and it was a very brief discussion for two minutes.

BARKHA: Okay.

RADIA: That we’ll try and work it out, and the let’s not you know take it a hasty easy decision. That’s the type of conversation that happened.

BARKHA: No, I’ll set it up as soon as they get out of RCR.

RADIA: What she saying is that, you know, that someone senior like Ghulam [Nabi Azad, senior Congress leader]---because he is the one who is authorised to speak. ….

BARKHA: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

RADIA: Right? Was to speak to her then she can tell her father that I have got this message from the Congress.

BARKHA: Theek hai, not a problem. That’s not a problem, I’ll talk to Azad---I’ll talk to Azad right after I get out of RCR [Race Course Road, presumably, the PM’s residence].

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time  18:09:06

RADIA: She doesn’t want to attend no because her father told her to come back. She has to follow what she’s father says, no. Call Ghulam then.

BARKHA: Let me call him.

Conversation dated 22 may 2009 Time  19:23:57

BARKHA: You see, what happened was everybody I know in the Congress was at the swearing in, so I haven’t been able to speak with the top guys, and now I just finished and I am going to make my set of calls.

Now you see Madam, We have a problem. Per the Radia Tapes you have promised Radia atleast 4 different time that you will call congress leaders. You being one of most eminent Journalists in India conferred even with PadmaShree an award given by the Government of India generally to Indian citizens to recognize their distinguished contribution in various spheres of activity, we tend to believe your word. Wont the entire press collapse if people start to disbelieve their journalists?

But your statement “never passed on any message to any Congress leader” implies that you never spoke to congress leaders. Do you want us to believe that you lied to Radia?

would notice that the conversation is essentially a journalist soliciting information from one of the many people plugged in - something all journalists do as part of newsgathering. And as journalists, we also often humour our sources without acting on their requests.

We also noticed that (from the published tapes) it was Radia who always called you. Is it wrong if one would expect a “journalist soliciting information” to have made the call atleast once?

And lastly every time Radia called you there was something she wanted from you and atleast to a untrained it seemes that you were happily tagging along complying to various requests. We have nothing with us which would prove or disprove whether you acted on her requests or not. You being a  PadmaShree we would have to your word at it.

The only "benefit" I ever got from talking to Nira Radia was information; information I used to feed the news.

We would kindly request NDTV to release tapes which would prove you have published the news as soon as you got it from Radia. This would rest all the doubts. Curiously, you have not attached any Videos from 23 may 2009 which would have established that you have reported information garnered from Radia

It is important to remember that at this point, in May 2009, none of us were aware of the present investigation against Nira Radia

Madam, you seem to be missing the point. The issue is not whether you spoke to Radia or not. Issue is whether your actions helped in appointment of Raja as Telecom Minister who everyone knew was mired in 2G scam.

This controversy has made me look at the need to re-draw the lines much more carefully.

Madam, This country had (Yes had) highest regard for you. We adored the brave girl who went to front during Kargil. I personally have conversed with you several time in twitter asking “where did we lose that girl”. Media Watch really wish and pray to almighty that India regains the “innocent brave girl” who seem to be lost in the murky world of politics.

Its important for nations future that Role Models donot Fall!

“What kind of story do you want?”

Tons has already been written on Radia Tapes Exposure. People more enlightened than Media Watch have already analyzed the tapes and reported on it. So there is nothing new we can add to what ever that has already been written.

However, What we want to do here is to analyze on whether Media delivered what they had promised to Radia representing corporate houses? or was it just plain talk which most of them are claiming. For this purpose Media Watch has analyzed Vir Sanghvis’ counter point article which was written after Radia and Vir Sanghvi’s discussion on 20 June 2009. 

You can call it divine providence that the said Counter Point article was titled Time for some transparency. Who can argue on that… Yes… its time we had some transparency! Thank you Vir for being part of the Cause (albeit on wrong side).

One of primary points which Radia asks Vir to cover is the High Court Judgment on distribution of Gas between Anil and Mukesh. She wants Vir  to criticize High Court and Judge for his decisions and in a way discredit it. Following are the instructions from Radia -

RADIA: point is what has happened as far as the High Court is concerned is a very painful thing for the country because what is done is against national interest.

RADIA: It cannot be the basis of the way how we can proceed on these sorts of issues. I mean, you have to attack the fact that the judge has only gone into the MoU. His entire judgment is on the basis of the MoU.

RADIA: Yeah. But you want to say that you know, more importantly that here a family MoU has taken precedence over national interest, and what the judge has done… I mean you’ll have to attack the judge here because the judge has, what he’s done, he’s given preference to an MoU. He has held on to the MoU and said, ‘Okay, this had to be implemented.’

RADIA: I think that’s the underlying message.

Now lets a look at what Vir actually wrote in Counter Point Article.

Few of us laypeople understand what the recent court battle — which ended in a victory for Anil — is about but from what I can tell it relates to the purchase of gas from the government.

I have great respect for the courts and little understanding of the law but as far as I can tell, the judge basically said that the MoU between the two Ambani brothers had precedence over everything else because this was a special case. They should go back to Mummy who would decide how to divide our gas between her two children.

Here’s what I don’t understand: why is this a special case? And why should an Indian natural resource like gas be sold at prices fixed according to an MoU between two brothers? I’m sure they love their mother and that she loves them but is this how gas is allocated? The Ambanis are welcome to their fight but do we have to pay the price?

So as asked, Vir criticizes High court Judgment and even subtly ridicules Judge saying Ambani brothers were asked to “go back to Mummy” . Also its amusing how he feigns ignorance of Law when the fact is he knew exactly what he was writing and intended effect!

Second point which Radia wants to highlight is how Anil Ambani got the Gas fields cheap

RADIA: Yeah, but Vir, you have to keep in mind that he has been given the gas field by the Government to operate. He spent ten billion dollars on it.

VIR: Okay.

RADIA: Anil Ambani is getting the benefit without spending a cent on it…

VIR: I’ll make those points, no?

RADIA: Yeah.

And this is what Vir delivered

Mukesh had paid for the gas and Anil argued that he deserved to also get it at a lower price because of some agreement with his brother.

Thirdly, Radia wants Vir to highlight the issues of allocation of resources. For this Vir suggests

VIR: So I’ll make those points. The people, because the system is so corrupt and open to manipulation, by manipulating the system, by not paying anybody you can get hands on resources. Therefore the only way Manmohan Singh hopes to survive is to get a handle on the resources and have some kind of way of allocating them that is transparent, fair and perhaps done by him.

But this suggestion was rejected by Radia as it would have shown Mukesh in bad light

RADIA: But there you will be attacking Mukesh only, no.

VIR: Why, why, why, explain that.

RADIA: You see, because a resource has been allocated to Mukesh in this case.

Having lost his train of thoughts, Vir asks guidance from Radia herself

VIR: So, what point do you want me to make?

Radia asks Vir to  propagate a formula independent of ‘courts and ministers’ to distribution resources mechanism.  In fact, Vir asks Radias permission on whether he can include ministers as one of resource allocation approving authorities which Radia rejects outright

RADIA: The point I’m making is that here, the point is limited to the fact that you cannot have a High Court deciding on this. You cannot have a tribunal deciding on this.

VIR: What about ministers?

RADIA: Even ministers.

VIR: Spectrum and co is ministers, no?

RADIA: Yeah, even ministers. You want to really look at, maybe there’s an EGoM [Empowered Group of Ministers] that got set and is looking at the pricing issue, and natural resources should be decided not by any of this arbitrary mechanism. It has to be one for the country. And there should be some sort of a formula that Manmohan Singh has to...

VIR: Yeah, that is the message, you know. There should be a formula by which resources will be allocated in a transparent, non-arbitrary sort of way. That has to be a message, no?

And this is what Vir wrote in Counterpoint article

Most of us do not get too self-righteous about corruption; we have been brutalised by decades of it. But I think we feel differently about attempts to sell off our scarce resources.

It’s one thing for an industrialist to pay off a politician to build a factory; quite another for him to corner our gas, our coal, our spectrum, our iron ore or whatever. Allow industrialists to do this and you will end up with a new league of super-businessmen, not unlike Russia’s oligarchs who nobody can ever touch and who become laws unto themselves.

And yet, as long as allocations are done by corrupt ministers, bent regulators, dishonest chief ministers and on the basis of family agreements, this is exactly the direction in which we are heading.

He must recognise the danger to our scarce resources. He must know that we cannot afford to become a land of oligarchs. And I’m sure he realizes that this goes beyond corruption — it touches the core of the kind of India we want to create.

Surely, he can come up with some transparent system which allocates resources fairly and without corruption? Anything would be better than the present system.

Vir brilliantly delivers whatever he was asked for. Resources allocation free of corrupt politicians ..Tick; Criticize present system… tick, Asks for a new system to replace present system … tick. Lastly, It is hilarious that how in process Vir also manages to shed some crocodile tears on being ‘brutalised by corruption’ and how strongly he feels for India's scarce resources! I can only say amen to it!

Lastly, As a sweetener Vir do suggest some feel good points like resources being cornered by few; how manmohan singh should put an end to allocations of scarce resources on the basis of corruption and arbitrariness at the cost etc etc

VIR: Okay. That message we will do. That allocation of resources which are scarce national resources of a poor country cannot be done in this arbitrary fashion to benefit a few rich people.

VIR: So I will link it to the election verdict. The fact that there has been so much Narega, that Sonia has commit•ted to including everybody, that it should be inclusive growth. It shouldn’t just benefit the few fat cats. It shouldn’t be cronyism. It shouldn’t be arbitrary. That’s how the message for this five years of Manmohan Singh should be—that you have to put an end to this kind of allocations of scarce resources on the basis of corruption and arbitrariness at the cost of the country, otherwise the country will not forgive you.

Here also Vir delivers as he had promised to Radia. He writes in couterpoint

He must recognise the danger to our scarce resources. He must know that we cannot afford to become a land of oligarchs. And I’m sure he realises that this goes beyond corruption — it touches the core of the kind of India we want to create.

During the last government, we said that the Congress was not in a position to prevent the allies from making money. That’s no longer true. The distinguishing feature of this government is that the Congress is strong and the allies are weak.

Manmohan Singh is better placed to crack down on corruption than ever before.

As promised to Radia, he do link this to election results, how allocation of resources should not enrich few, he even calls on Manmohan Singh to crackdown on corruption.(Talk about people living in glass house throwing stones at each other!)

One of statements made by Vir which will haunt him for ages to come is

VIR: What kind of story do you want? Because this will go as Counterpoint, so it will be like most-most read, but it can’t seem too slanted, yet it is an ideal opportunity to get all the points across.

RADIA: Okay. And you’ll do it for next Sunday, is it?

VIR: No, no tomorrow

So this leaves one with no doubt that Vir was talking about the Counterpoint Article which he is going to write.

It is amply clear that counter point article was written as per the directions and instructions from Radia and business interests she represented. It is natural if Media Watch wonders whether there is a selffish motive of some interests group behind every counter point article written by Vir Sanghvi? One also wonders what was in it for Vir?

Its time Vir Sanghvi clarify.

Screenshot of Said Counterpoint Article