The Hindu : National : Jaipal Reddy defends CBI probe into Tehelka expose

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 06, 2004

National

National

Jaipal Reddy defends CBI probe into Tehelka expose

By Our Special Correspondent

The Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, S. Jaipal Reddy, watching the DTH mobile telecasting trial service from a vehicle in Chennai on Tuesday. - Photo: K.V.Srinivasan

CHENNAI, OCT. 5. The Minister for Information and Broadcasting, S. Jaipal Reddy, has justified the Government's decision to scrap the Tehelka Commission headed by Justice S.N. Phukan and order a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The move was in conformity with the stand taken by the Congressat the timethe Commission was constituted, he said.

"When the National Democratic Alliance was in power, we demanded a CBI investigation. We never demanded an inquiry by a judicial commission. On the contrary, we opposed it," he told presspersons here today.

Pointing out that the defence personnel who figured in the Tehelka tapes had been punished, Mr. Reddy wondered how there could be one standard for the defence forces and another for politicians.

The tapes had been found genuine by Justice K. Venkataswami, who first headed the Tehelka Commission, and subsequently by his successor, Justice Phukan. A foreign expert, whose services were sought during the NDA regime, had also provided a similar opinion.

On the Opposition criticism that the United Progressive Alliance Government had not achieved anything in 100 days but had only indulged in the "politics of vendetta," he said, "Governments do not work in a timeframe of 100 days. Such Governments do not deliver. As for Tehelka, we are only doing justice."

DTH in a month

The Direct to Home platform of Doordarshan was expected to be launched by the Prime Minister in a month. "The date is yet to be given by the Prime Minister." To a query as to when it would be inaugurated, he said, "Certainly before November."

On the recommendations of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India on the Conditional Access System, he saidthe report had been received only a few days ago. It would be examined soon.

On the differential entry fee system followed at archaeological sites for Indian visitors and foreigners, Mr. Reddy, also handling the Culture portfolio, said a similar system was being practised in countries such as Sri Lanka.

Public broadcasters

Earlier, inaugurating a national convention of the All-India Radio and Doordarshan Technical Employees Association, he said even the United Kingdom, Germany and Japan had public broadcasters. In such countries, huge public funding supported the broadcasters. In the U.K., taxpayers paid not less than £110 every year by way of licence fee. "The need for public broadcasters is much more here than in the U.K. or Japan," he said.

Acknowledging that Prasar Bharati was running up an annual deficit of Rs. 1,200 crores, Mr. Reddy said this did not provide the ground for privatisation. No Government anywhere in the world could afford to privatise the social sector. What Prasar Bharti was doing was public education and "therefore, it is an inevitable and inalienable part of the social sector."

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