11/18/2010 “Tell me what should I tell them?

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T H U R SD AY , 18 N O VEM BER 2010

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“Oh God. So now what? What should I tell them?
Tell me what should I tell them?” —BARKHA DUTT
ALERT: Conv ersation begins on som e au dios
after a few seconds of silence; all au dio files
em bedded at the beginning of cor responding
transcr ipts
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BY Open (/c ateg ory /au th or/op en) EM AIL AU THOR (S)

( m ailt o: edit or @openm edianet wor k. in)

T A GG E D U N D ER | Barkha Dutt (/c ategory /tag s /ba rk ha -d utt) | Niira Radia

(/c ateg ory /tags /niira-rad ia )

T H E N ET W O R K

A s talks between the DMK and Congress (‘them’) broke dow n over
joining the Government in May 2009, Radia w as actively involved in
opening channels betw een the two parties through, among others,
television journalist Barkha Dutt

“ OH GOD. SO NOW WHAT ? WHAT SHOUL D I T EL L T HEM ? T EL L M E

WHAT SHOUL D I T EL L T HEM ? ” —BARKHA DUT T
D ATE 2 2 MAY 2 0 0 9 TI ME 0 9 : 4 8 : 5 1

RADIA: Hi, did I wake y ou up?

BA RKHA : No, no, no. I’v e been up, y a, most of the night. The stalemate
continues, y aa.

RADIA: Y eah. Listen, the thing is that they need to talk to him directly .
That is what the problem is.

BA RKHA : Haan so, apparently PM’s really pissed off that they went
public.

RADIA: But that’s Baalu’s doing, naa… he was not instructed by

Karunanidhi to do that.

BA RKHA : Oh, he wasn’t?

RADIA: This is not. He was told to come away and tell Congress that.

BA RKHA : And he went public

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RADIA: Well, the media… media, the media was standing outside.

BA RKHA : Oh God. So now what? What should I tell them? Tell me what
should I tell them?

RADIA: I’ll tell y ou what it is---the problem and I hav e had a long chat
with both his wife and with the daughter right

BA RKHA : Haan, haan.

RADIA: The problem is if the Congress has a problem with Baalu, if

they hav e no problem with any one. They need and go talk to
Karunanidhi. They hav e v ery good relationship with Karunanidhi
directly .

BA RKHA : Correct, haan.

RADIA: Because y ou see, in front of Baalu, in front of Maran, they can’t

talk.

BA RKHA : Y eah

RADIA: So they hav e to tell him directly , there [are] enough Congress
leaders in Tamil Nadu. They need to go in and tell him ex actly ---the
biggest problem is that the following of Alagiri is say ing that y ou
cannot giv e [inaudible] a cabinet [inaudible] and keep Alagiri in the
MoS state.

BA RKHA : That’s right. But will Karuna drop Baalu?

RADIA: He… look, if y ou tell him that Baalu is the only problem. I
would imagine, he will drop him.

BA RKHA : But y ou see the problem right now is also ov er the choice of
portfolios, naa…

RADIA: No. They ’v e not said any thing. The portfolios hav e not ev en
got discussed.

BA RKHA : Congress claims, for whatev er it’s worth, that the DMK
wanted surface transport, power, IT, telecom, railway s and health.

RADIA: Y ou see, y ou see my honest adv ice…

BA RKHA : Y eah.

RADIA: ..is that y ou tell them that they need to tell him directly that
we are happy because Kani’s [Kanimozhi, DMK Chief Karunanidhi’s
daughter] got no issue being about independent. But A lagiri is now
telling her that y ou cannot take an independent charge if Maran
remains cabinet minister.

BA RKHA : I see.

RADIA: A nd Congress is sending messages through media and through

v arious sources, say ing that. And Maran is telling ev ery one that he is
the only acceptable person.

BA RKHA : Person, y eah, y eah, y eah. That I know.

RADIA: But that’s not correct, naa?

BA RKHA : No, I know. We’v e taken that off. We’v e taken that off.

BA RKHA : Also, but, but the Congress needs to tell Karunanidhi that we
hav e not said any thing about Maran.

BA RKHA : Okay . Let me talk to them again.

RADIA: Y eah? The choice of candidate we will leav e to y ou. We hav e

some reserv ation about Baalu. And let them tell the reserv ation. And
we hav e not said any thing about Maran. We are not talking

+++

In another telecon, Barkha Dutt offers Niira Radia the assurance that
she is on the job as a reliable go-between

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“ T HAT ’S NOT A PROBL EM , I ’L L T AL K T O AZ AD. I’L L T AL K T O AZ AD
RI GHT AFT ER I GET OUT OF RCR” —BARKHA DUT T
D ATE 2 2 MAY 2 0 0 9 TI ME 1 0 : 4 7 : 3 3

BA RKHA : Haan, Niira?

RADIA: Barkha, what I’m told is that the Congress y esterday ,

apparently , God knows who they are talking to in the DMK.

BA RKHA : Haan, well must be Maran…

RADIA: Relay ed---no, they relay ed that the infrastructure portfolio

should not be giv en to Maran or Baalu.

BA RKHA : No, that’s because they want to keep it for themselv es.

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

BA RKHA : Oh I see!

RADIA: They might hav e told some minion down the line or told
Maran who is not relay ing the truth.

BA RKHA : I think they hav e told Maran.

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

BA RKHA : Okay .

RADIA: That we’ll try and work it out, and the let’s not y ou know take
it a hasty easy decision. That’s the ty pe of conv ersation that happened.

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

RADIA: What she say ing is that, y ou know, that someone senior like
Ghulam [Nabi A zad, senior Congress leader]---because he is the one
who is authorised to speak. ….

BA RKHA : Y eah, y eah, y eah.

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

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

RADIA: Y eah, and then she said when father lands, I can speak to him.

BA RKHA : Okay .

+++

The tw o conversationalists touch base again

“ I’V E HAD A L ONG CHAT , I HAD A L ONG CHAT , AND T HEY PROM ISED M E
T HAT AZ AD WIL L SPEAK T O HER” —BARKHA DUT T
D ATE 2 2 MAY 2 0 0 9 TI ME 1 5 : 3 1 : 2 9

RADIA: They will speak to her?

BA RKHA : Y eah.

RADIA: Who? Ghulam?

BA RKHA : Ghulam. Y eah.

RADIA: Y ou know, the problem is she’s catching a flight at fiv e haan,

going back. Day anidhi Maran is attending the swearing in when only
Raja has been authorised to attend, so he’s gone and told his leader
that A hmed Patel has told me especially to attend the swearing in.

BA RKHA : Ahmed say s this is rubbish …

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RADIA: But I am telling y ou but this. Karunanidhi’s v ery confused.

BA RKHA : No, but why can’t Kani stay also and attend it?

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

BA RKHA : Let me call him.

RADIA: She’s leav ing at fiv e. She’s catching a flight at fiv e.

+++

Niira Radia and Barkha Dutt discuss cabinet composition

possibilities---with Raja’s inclusion or non-inclusion the big question

“ I AM T EL L I NG YOU, NAHIN HAI. T RUST M E. NAHIN HAI” —NIIRA RADI A

D ATE 2 2 MAY 2 0 0 9 TI ME TI ME 1 8 : 0 9 : 0 6

BA RKHA : No, y ou see Congress’s condition is Baalu should not get

surface transport. Not Baalu, DMK should not get surface transport,
bey ond indiv iduals right?

RADIA: Correct, correct, and they are not indiv iduals. Let me tell y ou
one thing’s for sure, 3 plus 4 was y esterday ; because of Maran, they
wanted to make it 4 plus 3.

BA RKHA : Okay !

RADIA: So, now it is back to 3 plus 4 that was already worked on the
table?

BA RKHA : No, so why does this formula not sound right then?

RADIA: Because of A lagiri naa, if y ou make A lagiri… not cabinet. No,

he’s not got cabinet.

BA RKHA : Oh, Alagiri got what, according to these things?

RADIA: Y ou see, according to her, he’s got Health, but he can’t be

cabinet. Either Maran is not cabinet, either Raja is not cabinet or
Baalu’s not.

BA RKHA : Alagiri’s got Health and that’s a big compromise by Congress

because they said we won’t giv e them Health. So that’s their face sav er.
No, but Alagiri, Health can be cabinet?

RADIA: A greed, but then Raja is MoS.

BA RKHA : Raja is MoS!

RADIA: Then is Baalu MoS?

BA RKHA : Nahin ho sakta. Nahin, nahin, nahin, if Baalu gets the Heav y
Industries and A lagiri is in the Fertiliser, according to …. Baalu gets
Fertilizer; A lagiri gets this thing, Health.

RADIA: Maran gets Telecom and IT.

BA RKHA : Maran gets Telecom and IT. Raja gets demoted.

RADIA: Who gets…?

BA RKHA : Raja. Nahin hoga?

RADIA: I am telling y ou nahin hai (laughing). Trust me, nahin hai.

BA RKHA : Achcha, theek hai.

+++

In yet another telecon, Barkha Dutt explains her situation to Niira

Radia

“ EV ERYBODY I KNOW IN T HE CONGRESS WAS AT T HE SWEARING- I N, SO

I HAV EN’T BEEN ABL E T O SPEAK WIT H T HE T OP GUYS, AND NOW I JUST
FINI SHED AND I AM GOING T O M AKE M Y SET OF CAL L S” BARKHA DUT T
D ATE 2 2 MAY 2 0 0 9 TI ME 1 9 : 2 3 : 5 7

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BA RKHA : Y ou see, what happened was ev ery body I know in the
Congress was at the swearing in, so I hav en’t been able to speak with
the top guy s, and now I just finished and I am going to make my set of
calls.

RADIA: Kani just landed in Chennai. Just now. I just spoke…

BA RKHA : Where is Day a? Where is Maran?

RADIA: Day a didn’t turn up for the swearing in because he was called
back, because he went and told Karunanidhi that I hav e been asked by
A hmed Patel to come for the swearing in. But the leader said then y ou
join the Congress.

BA RKHA : (laughs) So now?

RADIA: So Raja was the only one who’s authorised to attend which he’s
done and Raja’s catching the 8:40 flight...

BA RKHA : Okay

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0 C O MMEN TS

R E A D A LL C O MME N T S ( j a va s cr ip t:vo id( 0) ;)

A D D Y O U R C O MME N T ( /C O MME N T/ R E P L Y/ 7 2 0 2 )

A L S O I N N A TION

“PM is very soft-spoken, and dad can’t hear clearly”

(/article/nation/pm-is-v ery -soft-spoken-and-dad-can-t-hear-clearly )
The ‘he’ appears to be Dayanidhi Maran, who, along with TR Baalu, seems to be having
trouble finding infrastructure-related portfolios in UPA II. Here, Niira Radia conveys that
information to Kanimozhi
“ Pr im e Min ist er is a lso, y ou k n ow , v er y soft -spok en , a n d da d c a n ’t h ea r
v er y clea r ly a lso.” —KA NIMOZHI “ Mm -h m m ” —RA DIA DA T E 2 2 Ma y 2 0 0 9
T IME 1 0 :4 5 :0 6
20 N OV 2010 | BY Open (/c ategory /a uthor/open)

“Tell Sunil Mittal, you have to work with Raja”

(/article/nation/tell-sunil-mittal-y ou-hav e-to-work-with-raja)
“ H m m …tell Su n il Mit ta l, y ou h a v e t o w or k a lon g w it h Ra ja for a n ot h er
fiv e y ea r s” —A RA JA
20 N OV 2010 | BY Open (/c ategory /a uthor/open)

“I met Raja today. He is a happy man” (/article/nation/i-met-

raja-today -he-is-a-happy -man)
Pow er t h r ou g h pr ox im it y
20 N OV 2010 | BY Open (/c ategory /a uthor/open)

S E E A LL ( / AR C H I V E/ 14 6 / 7 20 2)

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