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A former aide of the then Telecom Minister Mr A Raja and the CBI’s star witness, Mr Aseervatham Achary, on Wednesday told a Special Court that former corporate lobbyist Ms Niira Radia had spoken to him “many times” over phone to find out Mr Raja’s whereabouts.
This was because Ms Radia could not find out Mr Raja’s whereabouts on her own, he said. On Tuesday, Mr Achary had denied allegations that he spied on Mr Raja.
On the taped conversations, he said “at point B (on the tape), Ms Niira Radia speaking -- ‘ok tell him that I have sort(ed) out his Kalaignar problem. That Kalaignar TV Problem’ -- but I did not know what the specific problem was.”
“I came to know about this problem after I was called by the CBI and they played the tape… I know from my personal knowledge that Kalaignar TV was on the bouquet of Tata Sky. Through the conversation as mentioned at point B, Ms Radia wanted me to convey a message to Mr Raja about that and I did it accordingly,” Mr Achary said.
He, however, said since he was in “exit mood”, he did not try to understand the problem that Ms Radia was referring to.
But Mr Achary said Mr Raja had told him about Kalaignar TV being floated in June 2007. He said he cannot say if Sun TV was the chief propaganda organ of DMK party, but he “came to know that Kalaignar TV was created as a substitute for Sun TV, on the division of the family, on being told by Mr Raja.”
“After being told by Mr Raja that Kalaignar TV was a propaganda organ of DMK party, I kept regularly watching it. It is correct that thereafter I found that this TV channel regularly carried out propaganda of DMK. Thereafter I found out that whatever Mr Raja told me about Kalaignar TV was correct,” he said.
The CBI had said that investigation revealed that Dynamix Realty, a partner of 2G case accused Mr Shahid Balwa's DB Realty, paid Rs 200 crore ‘bribe’ to Kalaignar TV during December 2008-2009 through Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd and Cineyug Films Pvt Ltd. This ‘bribe', the CBI said, was a reward for Mr Raja showing undue favours in allocating 2G licences to Swan Telecom, of which Mr Balwa was a Director.
Mr Achary also admitted that “It is correct that at that time I was having ambition of entering Parliament through Congress party, though at present I do not have any such ambition.” He, however, added that “Ms Radia was not taking interest in my having a political career.”
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