Caught on tape: Union Minister taking cash, saying money is no less than God

‘‘As long as I don’t see the VCD, I will contradict it. I’m fighting international exploitative forces and all this is part of it,’’ Judeo told The Sunday Express from Raigarh in Chhattisgarh late tonight.

When contacted, his party chief Venkaiah Naidu, speaking from Hyderabad, said: ‘‘I haven’t seen it (the VCD) so I can’t comment.’’

The CD, running for a little over 35 minutes, received at this newspaper’s office, shows from the 23rd minute to the end, Judeo accepting money from a man called Rahul. This man is heard claiming to be working for an Australian mining company seeking leases in Chhattisgarh and Orissa.

The recording is in a hotel room in New Delhi—Rateria indicates it’s in Delhi—with waiters coming in and out. The plausible date sometime in the first week of November since the TV in the room is heard reporting on the Safdar Hashmi case. Also, there are several topical references to the election process in Chhattisgarh.

Judeo is seen sitting on a sofa, next to him is Rateria who does most of the talking.

The operative part of the transcript:

Rateria: (pointing to Judeo): Opposition ne bhi mukhya mantri declare kar diya hai (Even the Opposition has declared him Chief Minister)

A man walks into the frame from the left with a bundle of rupee notes. Rateria shoos him away.

Rateria: Aisa mat karo, please…aap roz roz aisa karte hain. (Don’t do this, you do this every day) Rateria accompanies the man out of the frame saying, ‘‘Idhar aa jayeeye, idhar aa jayeeye”(this way, please; this way, please).

Seconds later, the man with the money returns, walks towards Judeo. And hands the bundle over to the Minister who accepts it, raises it to his forehead, keeps it on the sofa.Rateria: Yeh roz roz achcha nahin lagta. (This doesn’t look proper every day)

A lot of rustling of paper is audible.

Rahul: Apka aashirvad hai…aaj kal to jo bhi…(It’s your blessings, these days whatever…Minister cuts him)

Judeo: Paisa Khuda to nahin par Khuda ki kasam Khuda se kam bhi nahin. (Money isn’t God but, swear on God, it’s no less than God)

Rateria: Aaj tak jo kisi ke liye nahin kiya woh karne ka man karta hai…main mazaak nahin kar raha hoon…(I feel like doing today what I haven’t done for anybody so far…I’m not kidding)

The money exchange is prefaced by a conversation during which Rahul is heard asking for lease rights for mining in Chhattisgarh and Orissa.

Rahul claims that a judge’s son is the advisor to an Australian mining company which can’t acquire rights to some mines. So they needed help.

Rateria responds saying once elections are over in Chhattisgarh, ‘‘there will be no problem’’ in getting the work done. As for Orissa, he brags that the Naveen Patnaik government is indebted to Judeo since it has got Rs 9,000-crore ‘‘relief projects from the Ministry.’’

The part of the transcript which ends with mention of cash:

Rahul: Apan ko thoda kaam aage badhana…(I needed to push this forward)

Rateria: Aapko agar vahan koi kaam aage badhana hai, toh hum forward ker dete hain CM house mein. Aap unse jaake milo. Aapko voh poori tavajoo denge. (If you have to push it, we will forward it to the Orissa CM’s house. Go and meet him.)

Rateria: Aab toh dehi do…paryapt samay bhi hai, bhej do. Then he turns to the Minister: Kuch karna parega, Sir, inka…(We have to do something about them).

Rahul: Kitne rakh doon paanch sau waale (How many 500-rupee notes do I keep?)

A long pause. They keep watching the television.

Minutes later, the man with the money walks in.