Opinion Tangled in tape

The CBI has disclosed to the Supreme Court that it has not completed the job of transcribing all the 5,851 telephone conversations.

Coomi Kapoor

November 28, 2010 04:02 AM IST First published on: Nov 28, 2010 at 04:02 AM IST

Tangled in tape

The CBI has disclosed to the Supreme Court that it has not completed the job of transcribing all the 5,851 telephone conversations of lobbyist Nira Radia which were recorded by the Income Tax authorities in 2008 and 2009. Each conversation was about 30 to 45 minutes long. The CBI says that only 3,800 tapes running into 80,000 pages have been transcribed so far since it was only handed the tapes in May this year. Interestingly,despite this phenomenal exercise,the Income Tax department,which actually undertook the taping project after getting due clearance,has not sent any notice to Radia for tax evasion. Handing over the tapes to the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate,was perhaps an afterthought to justify the invasion of an individuals privacy. Interestingly,though the recording was done by a government department,it was subsequently distributed by a corporate firm.

Communication problem

The Congress is still uncertain whom to align with in the forthcoming Tamil Nadu assembly polls. But the DMK certainly has an advantage over the rival AIADMK in terms of communication. There are many from the DMK who have a hotline to the Congress. The PM talks to Chief Minister Karunanidhi,Dayanidhi Maran to 10 Janpath, Kanimozhi to Jairam Ramesh,Ramesh to T R Baalu,Ghulam Nabi Azad to T R Baalu and so on. In the AIADMK,only Jayalalithaa is authorised to speak on behalf of the party. Besides,she has a disconcerting habit of conversing with her visitors at her home in Chennai through the intercom. The visitor is on the ground floor and Jayalalithaa remains in her quarters on the second floor.

Multitasking lobbyist

Though she is now under the scanner for alleged meddling in the telecommunication sector,lobbyist Nira Radia has many irons in the fire and functions though half-a-dozen companies. She first came to public notice when in 2000 she was granted permission to start an airlines by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), although the seed money was only Rs 1 lakh and the rules prescribed a minimum capital of Rs 30 crore. The project fell through when the Aircraft Acquisition Committee rejected her application for a licence to purchase six aircraft. By this time her mentor,then central minister Ananth Kumar,had been transferred from the Civil Aviation Ministry to Tourism. Two years ago,one of Radias firm lobbied for the purchase of the Eurocopter aircraft by the Defence Ministry. Radias original introduction to DMK leader A Raja reportedly came through a Dubai-based contractor,who was keen to enter the telecommunication business. Incidentally,her taped telephone conversations indicate that Radia even played a role in drumming up media support for one section of the BJP in the partys internal power struggle last year.

Questioning the right

The parliamentary standing committee on culture is still debating the amendment of the Copyright Act so that the artistes are entitled to share the profits from their work in films. Javed Akhtar and Shyam Benegal have led the campaign,canvassing with their fellow MPs against the injustice of the prevailing system where the producer hogs all the profits. Bollywood producers and directors have mounted a counteroffensive,claiming that songs in movies become hits not purely on the strength of the lyrics and music,but due to the script,the manner in which the song picturised and the star appeal of the actors who sing them on the screen. Recently,G P Sippy and Yash Chopra called on an Opposition leader in Mumbai and cited the example of the film Padosan. Their argument was: who was responsible for the success of the song ek chatur naar? Was it Kishore Kumar who actually sung it but hid in the background,or Sunil Dutt who lip synced on the screen making the song memorable?

Fish out of water

Despite her preoccupation with Bengal,Mamata Banerjee agreed to fly to Goa for the International Film Festival last week. She was persuaded by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni,who was once her party colleague. Banerjee looked a trifle out of place in the glamour world,with her simple cotton sari,rubber chappals and cotton satchel. In her festival speech,she remarked that she felt like a misfit . She was railway minister and had nothing to do with films. She was familiar only with Tollywood,but was addressing representatives from not just Bollywood ,but even Hollywood. Banerjee questioned why Bollywood heroines had to diet so muchsurely it was unhealthy?