The revelation by the New Indian Express in Southern India that Dayanidhi Maran the Union Minister for Telecommunications has threatened Mr. Ratan Tata that if he did not hand over the Tata DTP project to the Maran family, he would finish off the Tata Telecom venture; stunningly exposes how the constituents of the UPA government have shamelessly turned the government into a weapon to terrorise and buccaneer at the cost of the state and the citizens.
The newspaper has claimed that Mr. Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Mr. Kalanidhi Maran who run the Maran family owned Sun TV asked Ratan Tata that they be given 1/3 ownership and also the management of the Tata DTH venture at concession which would amount to hundreds of crores in project with investment of thousands of crores. In essence they had demanded that the project be handed over to them almost on a platter. The Tatas have refused to budge. Thereupon the Minister has called and also met Ratan Tata and threatened that the government would destroy his telecom business, unless he agreed to part with the Tata DTH project to the Maran family. This threat, the newspaper says, was put into effect by the ministry stopping all clearances of Tata Telecom.
The newspaper says that it has sent the allegations about how the Minister and his brother had threatened Ratan Tata and other allegations and the Maran brothers had evaded giving any direct reply while the Tata group had responded saying that 'we do not wish to make any comment'. The reply of the Tata group and the evasive response of the Minister and his brother clearly expose the shameless self-aggrandising undertaking of the Minister.
The Tata group which is respected for its ethical standards seems to have taken up the matter with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is therefore fully in the know of things but is still unable to act in the matter as the Minister who is in close liaison with Sonia Gandhi is believed to be beyond the control of the Prime Minister. The expose undeniably shames the minister and the government. But, it also turns the entire system into a buccaneering apparatus. It is not just a case of corruption, but something far more serious which makes the government part of what is extortion and the crime in law. To save the system from being discredited further the BJP demands that the Prime Minister should enquire the matter and divest Mr. Maran of his communication portfolio.
The newspaper has claimed that Mr. Dayanidhi Maran and his brother Mr. Kalanidhi Maran who run the Maran family owned Sun TV asked Ratan Tata that they be given 1/3 ownership and also the management of the Tata DTH venture at concession which would amount to hundreds of crores in project with investment of thousands of crores. In essence they had demanded that the project be handed over to them almost on a platter. The Tatas have refused to budge. Thereupon the Minister has called and also met Ratan Tata and threatened that the government would destroy his telecom business, unless he agreed to part with the Tata DTH project to the Maran family. This threat, the newspaper says, was put into effect by the ministry stopping all clearances of Tata Telecom.
The newspaper says that it has sent the allegations about how the Minister and his brother had threatened Ratan Tata and other allegations and the Maran brothers had evaded giving any direct reply while the Tata group had responded saying that 'we do not wish to make any comment'. The reply of the Tata group and the evasive response of the Minister and his brother clearly expose the shameless self-aggrandising undertaking of the Minister.
The Tata group which is respected for its ethical standards seems to have taken up the matter with the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is therefore fully in the know of things but is still unable to act in the matter as the Minister who is in close liaison with Sonia Gandhi is believed to be beyond the control of the Prime Minister. The expose undeniably shames the minister and the government. But, it also turns the entire system into a buccaneering apparatus. It is not just a case of corruption, but something far more serious which makes the government part of what is extortion and the crime in law. To save the system from being discredited further the BJP demands that the Prime Minister should enquire the matter and divest Mr. Maran of his communication portfolio.
Shyam Jaju
Office Incharge
Office Incharge
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