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2G: Anil Ambani’s executives may turn approver, CBI tells SC
‘After ex-Finance Secy’s statement, there was no need to examine PC’
215 convicted in Vachati case
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Advani yatra, Modi’s absence overshadow BJP meet
Telangana stir intensifies
Another MLA quits TDP
Andhra Congress chief holds discussions with Azad
BJP dismisses Pranab’s clarification on 2G note
215 convicted in Vachathi case
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2G: Anil Ambani’s executives may turn approver, CBI tells SC
New Delhi, September 29 In their statements to the CBI, recorded under Section 161 of CrPC, the executives had maintained that they had the authority to take all the financial decisions on behalf of their company. But in their bail application filed in the Delhi High Court, they took a U-turn and maintained that they were only employees and as such, were not beneficiaries. This showed that they might turn approver and help the agency crack the case, CBI’s senior counsel KK Venugopal told a Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly. The CBI virtually gave a clean chit to Tata and Videocon groups in the scam. It denied reports that Tata donated its land in Chennai to family members of top DMK leaders. The company did not even own the property and only had leasehold rights and as such, the question of donating it did not arise, it was stated. The agency, however, said Tata and a few other telecom companies had given donations of Rs 25 lakh each or more to a cultural centre, Tamil Miayam, headed by Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi, daughter of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi shortly after the 2G scam in January 2008. The agency did not find any discrepancies in the allotment of 2G Spectrum to the Tata group, contending that the then Telecom Minister A Raja had in fact tried to discriminate against the company. PTI adds: However, Reliance ADAG today said that none of its three executive chargesheeted in the 2G Spectrum scam has offered to become approver in the case.
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Unitech MD seeks bail
New Delhi: Unitech Managing Director Sanjay Chandra, arrested for his alleged role in the 2G scam, moved the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking interim bail to join his family in the festival season.
Chandra, lodged in Tihar Jail since his arrest on April 20, pleaded to the court that in view of the delay in framing of charges by the trial court in the case, he should be granted interim bail till October 12 to perform religious ceremonies with the family. The Bench agreed to hear his plea tomorrow at 2 pm.
— PTI
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‘After ex-Finance Secy’s statement, there was no need to examine PC’
New Delhi, September 29 “It was the then Telecom Minister A Raja who jumped the gun and issued the letters of intent (LoI) for 122 licenses embedded with Spectrum on January 10, 2008, ignoring the advice of the Finance Ministry and postponing the full Telecom Commission meeting that had been slated for January 9 to January 15, “ CBI’s senior counsel KK Venugopal argued before a Bench comprising Justices GS Singhvi and AK Ganguly. Just three days prior to the issue of LoIs, the Finance Ministry had sent a communication to the Telecom Ministry, insisting on auction of Spectrum or at least indexation of the 2001 price by factoring inflation into it. Responding to the charge that Chidamabram had failed to get the LoIs cancelled, Venugopal said this could not have been done by the Finance Ministry alone. Anyway, this did not amount to any criminality, he argued. On Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy’s demand that the CBI question Home Minister Chidambaram, the CBI counsel said this plea was merely meant for getting newspaper headlines. Further, it would be “politically fruitful.” Venugopal also contended that the Finance Secretary wielded a lot of authority in the ministry and as such the ministry should be viewed as a single unit and not as a separate entity removed from the minister. Subbarao has since become Governor of the Reserve Bank. Rejecting the charge that CBI was “less than honest” in its investigations, Venugopal said the agency had refused to buy the “no loss theory” of telecom regulator TRAI and the unsolicited views of the Law Ministry and the Corporate Affairs Ministry on associate companies. The fact that the CBI had “not deviated from the path of independent investigation” was evident from the results it had shown.
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215 convicted in Vachati case
Dharmapuri (TN), September 29 Special judge-cum-principal district and sessions judge S Kumaraguru held guilty 126 forest personnel, including four IFS officers, 84 cops and five revenue department officials. On June 20, 1992, a team of 155 forest personnel, 108 cops and six revenue officials entered Vachathi and allegedly dragged out villagers from their homes, assaulted about 100 of them, detained women and kids and raped 18 tribals.
— PTI
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Advani yatra, Modi’s absence overshadow BJP meet
New Delhi, September 29 Party president Nitin Gadkari clouded the event further by keeping a suspense about Advani’s prime ministerial candidature. Narendra Modi, who had not entertained Advani’s desire to start the yatra from Somnath, is said to have conveyed to the high command his inability to attend this national executive, devoted largely to discussing the logistics of the yatra, citing the current Navratra festival as the reason. But even as the national executive may concentrate mainly on Advani’s yatra, there is some visible disconcert between the professed claim of the party ostensibly putting all its might behind this show and the actual plans. For instance, even as the flagging off from JP’s birthplace Sithabdiara on his birth anniversary has been outsourced to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, there will be virtually no first rank BJP leader present in Sithabdiara. Gadkari said today that only its organiser Ananth Kumar and convener Ravi Shankar Prasad along with co-conveners Murlidhar Rao and Shyam Jaju, will be present at Sithabdiara. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj will address a joint rally with Advani in Patna, said Gadkari, adding, “I myself may welcome him in Nagpur.” The BJP president announced that the “Good Governance and Clean Politics” yatra beginning Bihar will touch 18 states and end in New Delhi on November 20 with a big rally. But Gadkari had a hard time replying to questions about Advani’s prime ministerial candidature. Gadkari, who returned to the capital after a gap of 22 days having undergone an important surgery, tied himself in knots when he declared, “This yatra is not for the Prime Minister’s post. It is aimed at clean politics and good governance. The party will support this yatra fully and contribute to making it a success.” He tried to recall Advani’s statement at his residence in Nagpur where Advani had gone to seek the “blessings” of RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohanrao Bhagwat. Advani said that he had got much more from the RSS/BJP than the prime ministership. “What more can I say? Advani has already said what you want to know,” the BJP chief quipped. When asked specifically if Advani will not be the prime ministerial candidate anymore, he smiled and left. Gadkari evaded a direct reply to questions whether Advani will touch Somnath and Ayodhya. Political observers were speculating whether the decision to make Nitish Kumar flag off the yatra, skipping Somnath and
Ayodhya and keeping Narendra Modi at an arm’s length was a conscious decision to project Advani as a secular leader with wider acceptability. In any case, it is evident that this national executive will remain largely confined to Advani’s yatra since the party leaders who met the media midway through the national office-bearers and state organisation general secretaries’ meeting said virtually nothing about the agenda or programme of this two-day national executive.
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Hyderabad, September 29 Hawkers today stopped delivering newspapers as part of the 'sakala januma samme' (strike by all sections of people). Telangana Political Joint Action Committee (JAC) convener M Kodandaram was taken into custody in Secunderabad where he was participating in a pro-Telangana demonstration. The Telangana supporters reached the police station where the JAC convener was kept and raised slogans against the state government and the police. They also continued to hold rallies, sit-ins at various places elsewhere in the region. The supporters of separate statehood also announced plans to question public representatives for not resigning in support of Telanagana.
— PTI
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Another MLA quits TDP
Hyderabad, September 29 The party has so far lost seven MLAs in Telangana in the past one-and-a-half years, a direct impact of the ongoing agitation for a separate state. The main reason for the legislators’ exit from Telugu
Desam, which hitherto used to be a potent force in Telangana, was the growing hostility towards the party in the region because of its "ambivalent" stand on the statehood demand. Besides, TDP legislators were facing the heat from the Telangana protagonists who, at times, went to the extent of attacking and ransacking the MLAs’ residences besides indulging in other protests. The separatist Telangana Rashtra Samiti was in the forefront of the attacks on TDP MLAs in many a case. In 2009, the TDP won 39 MLA seats in Telangana region, but now, the number has fallen to 32. Chennamaneni Ramesh, MLA from Vemulawada in Karimnagar district, was the first to quit the TDP in February last year protesting its indecisiveness on the statehood issue. Pocharam Srinivasa Reddy, MLA from Banswada in Nizamabad district, was the next to follow and leave the TDP in March. He also resigned from the state Assembly demanding the creation of the Telangana state. The TDP had to suspend senior legislator and former minister Nagam Janardhana Reddy of Nagarkurnool in Mahbubnagar district after he publicly lashed out at the party chief N Chandrababu Naidu on the statehood issue. However, Nagam did not go alone and he took three more TDP MLAs out of the party with him. Two MLAs S Venugopalachari and Jogu Ramanna of Adilabad district and another K Harishwar Reddy of Ranga Reddy joined hands with Nagam and floated a new outfit Telangana Nagara Samiti. Today, Gampa Govardhan, MLA from Kamareddy in Nizamabad district, severed ties with the TDP and joined the TRS. But TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu said the other day, "Nothing is in our hands...it is for the Government of India to take a decision."
— PTI
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Andhra Congress chief holds discussions with Azad
New Delhi, September 29 The meeting comes a day before Azad is to submit a report to the party high command on his interaction with lawmakers from Telangana, Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions of the state on the contentious statehood demand.
— PTI
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Call all-party meeting: BJP
Hyderabad: In the backdrop of the ongoing general strike for over two weeks, Andhra Pradesh BJP on Thursday appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene an all-party meeting to discuss and resolve the Telangana issue. "The general strike in support of Telangana state entered the 17th day today. The stir has spread to virtually all departments and is even affecting functioning of private establishments in the region," state BJP spokesperson NVSS Prabhakar told reporters here.
— TNS
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BJP dismisses Pranab’s clarification on 2G note
New Delhi, September 29 BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad said the Finance Minister did not answer the main question about the loot of public money. He accused Home Minister P Chidambaram and Mukherjee of being busy in their "ego battle". "It is not your internal matter or ego battle to be settled, you are accused, your role needs to be investigated," Prasad said. "The country will not believe this completely untenable clarification of Pranab Mukherjee, which is more the result of ego battle of the ministers than a quest for public probity," he said. Prasad said that the statement only "deepened the crisis" by revealing nothing and the government stood "exposed before the public of the country". He also defended the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. "The contention by Mukherjee that they followed the Cabinet decision of the NDA government is equally untenable and baseless," Prasad said. "That decision stated that Spectrum pricing and license must be determined in consultation with the Finance Ministry, which means a transparent mechanism. The moot question as raised by the officers of the Finance Ministry is why should Spectrum and licensing be allocated in 2007-08 at 2001 price," he said. Prasad said the note, which was prepared in consultation with the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), the Cabinet Secretariat, the Law Ministry, Telecom Ministry and the Finance Ministry, held Chidambaram responsible. "Had Chidambaram taken preemptive and prohibitive steps, the 2G scam could have been avoided," he added. The March 25 note to the Prime Minister's Office from the Finance Ministry said that the airwaves could have been auctioned in 2008 if Chidambaram, who was then the Finance Minister, had "stuck to his stand".
— Agencies
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