Monday, Nov 17, 2003
Monday, Nov 17, 2003 |
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By Our Special Correspondent
The VCD, if authenticated, would deal yet another blow to the political establishment in the manner of the tehelka.com tapes that exposed alleged corruption in defence deals. The tehelka.com tapes cost the then BJP president, Bangaru Laxman, his job as he was `seen' on a videotape accepting cash and keeping it in his drawer. The latest `expose', coming just a fortnight before Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi go to the polls to elect new Assemblies, has raised the temperature in the political arena as the two traditional rivals — the BJP and the Congress — are pitched in a keen electoral tussle in these States. Though the authenticity of the VCD has been questioned by the Minister and the BJP who described it as "doctored and fabricated'', the 35-minute VCD, which was played by all the major private television news channels throughout the day, shows Mr. Judev accepting what looks like wads of currency notes. He is then shown keeping the cash on the sofa next to him. The Minister alleged that it was an attempt and a conspiracy to tarnish his image and that of his party. He said he did not even know the man seen on the VCD. The VCD, made available to The Hindu by The Indian Express, shows the Minister and his assistant personal secretary, Natwar Rateria, engaged in conversation. Most of the talking is done by Mr. Rateria and centres around distribution of ticket for the coming Assembly polls. Mr. Rateria is also seen talking at length on his cellular phone. It appears that there are more than two persons in the room, possibly in a hotel, as a couple of times a waiter is seen entering. Noise from a television set and the rustling of papers is heard on the VCD. The recording is steady and the film has been shot entirely from one angle. Twenty-three minutes into the recording a man appears in the room offering cash to Mr. Judev who then receives it and utters a few words stressing that money was not less important than God. The cash is left on the sofa for a few minutes and then a man appears and keeps it in a polythene bag. The room is seen empty for some time but noises of conversation, possibly over dinner, are heard. Towards the end — 34th and 35th minutes — the cash is transferred to a bigger paper bag, and both the Minister and his assistant personal secretary are seen leaving the room. The brief conversation with the other man in the room refers to mining licences in Chhattisgarh and Orissa and words such as "MNCs" are dropped. A brief note, appended along with the VCD by The Indian Express, said that the visuals published in today's edition were prints of frames from the VCD. "Upholding transparency in the public interest and in tune with the unique Express tradition of fairness and accuracy, the 35-minute CD is being released exactly in the form in which it was received — without any editing,'' the note said.
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