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(Phone rings)

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(Phone rings)

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(Phone rings)

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(Phone rings)

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Niira: Hello.
Venu: Hi, I got a message from you.

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N: Message?
V: Oh, <i>accha</i> must be last night's message -

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V: - just urgent, no, so I was wondering whether. It must be...
N: No...?

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N: Somebody must be using my phone (chuckles). Somebody must have cloned my phone!
(Laughter)

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V: I was surprised, the message just said urgent, that's all, you know.
N: No no no, no.

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V: Anyway. You saw the - you saw Rohini's story <i>na</i>, it has come today?
N: I haven't seen, no, I'm going to see it now -

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N: - I finished, you know, at 1:30 in the night.
V: But it's all tucked away I know, you've been. You're also keeping Manoj, uh, whatever, Manoj -

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V: - Modi's timings, 2 o' clock.
N: Yeah yeah yeah. How, it's tucked away, is it?
V: Huh?
N: Tucked away.

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V: Yeah...but...<i>matlab</i> (meaning), in ET you can't miss it, it's an inside thing but it's a top half - it's the lead story of that page, you know.

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N: Okay, but it stands out, right?
V: It stands out, yeah.
N: Mmhmm.
V: And in Bombay I think Bodhi has done a bit of his -

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V: - you know, bit of his, you know that whatever, that neutralisation campaign (laughs). 
N: Doing what?

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V: I don't know, Rohini, called me to say that Bombay edition says what Bodhi's added some, "However Anil Ambani's...

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V: ...top ownerships Anil Ambani group feels this way, this way this way -

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V: - this way." What, feel what, this is...this is just a plane letter, you know?

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N: Yeah, yeah yeah. You know I, this one...Ganapathy has been chasing me.

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N: I don't want to give him. I have a letter from the Andhra Chief Minister.
V: Mmhmm, hmm hmm, hmm.

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N: I don't want to give it to...you know, I'm a bit scared to give it to...and find that it gets killed.

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N: What do you think I should do?
V: Andhra Chief Minister -
(Inaudible, both speaking at the same time.)

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N: He's given a scathing (inaudible), he's given it to the Prime Minister.
V: <i>Accha</i>? (Is it so?)
N: Hmm, what a letter!

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N: I wanted to show it to you yesterday but I didn't want to show it in front of everyone.
V: Earlier he was...remember two years ago he used to be singing this Anil Ambani's tune?

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V: State-CM?
N: No, no, I mean he's - basically he's quite neutral, right?

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N: He's basically saying, listen, these are brothers.
V: This letter is saying that this is our national property and all, <i>na</i>, that type?
N: Yeah, but it's also talking about -

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N: - what is happening in Andhra. The country is - the state is reeling under lack of power.
V: Hmm, hmm hmm.

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N: And what's our condition, and what's happening, and he's like, you know, pretty mad about it.

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V: Yeah yeah.
N: I mean, I can read it out to you. Should I read it out to you?

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V:<i>Haan haan, zara pad ke batao</i> (Yes, please read it out.)
N: Okay, he writes to the Prime Minister and he says, you'll recall - you'll kindly recall -

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N: - that on behalf of Government of Andhra Pradesh and the people of my state I have written several letters to you beginning the 29th of June, 2007.

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N: Requesting that the Government of India should assume responsibility for the gas allocation and gas pricing for the allocation to be produced -

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N: - by RIL from their D-6 block, from the KG basin. It is argued at that time that RIL -

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N: - had accordingly, according to the production sharing agreement under NELP -

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N: - system that they had every right to sell the gas produced from D-6 in the KG basin to anybody of their choice at the market discovered price.

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N: We wanted the government to take over the gas allocation pricing on the grounds that the strict interpretation of the NELP guidelines clearly bring out the fact -

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N: - that government continues to be the owner of gas fields while RIL was only a contractor.

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N: Further, on factual basis for a long time to come, as RIL will continue to be the lone supplier of gas -

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N: - with thousands of consumers already holding substantial number of stranded assets waiting for gas supply by RIL -

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N: - no fair market discovery rate was possible as RIL enjoys the monopoly status.

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N:  Our argument was based on the principle that even die-hard capitalists would ungrudgingly concede to -

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N: - that a private monopoly is decidedly against public interest.

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N: The natural gas to be supplied by RIL is capable of substituting naphtha for the production of urea.

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N: It is capable of power generation, it is capable of substituting petrol and diesel as CNG and it is -

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N: - capable of substituting LPG for domestic gas. And it is also capable of substituting furnace oil for industrial use.

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N: Thus it has a wide range of applications and only an impartial prioritisation of gas allocation on some rational -

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N: - basis by an independent agency like the Government of India can serve long term and national interest of the people of the country.

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N: Our concern is such a valuable resource like natural gas made available my Mother Earth to her children (chuckles) cannot -

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N: - be allowed to be monopolised by a few private developers, defeating the spirit of the -

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N: - directive principles of state policy which mandates the state.

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N: In particular, direct it's policy towards securing ownership and control of the law - of the material resources of the community  -

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N: - are so distributed as best to subserve the common good. And that the operation of the economic system -

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N: - does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment.

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N: That's quite a long paragraph, where he gets down to the crux now, he says:

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N: We are thankful to you for constituting the EGoM under the chairmanship of Sri. Pranab Mukherjee -

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N: - for addressing all issues. 
V: We are where?

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N: We are thankful to you for constituting the EGoM under the chairmanship of Pranab Mukherjee -

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N: - for addressing all issues relating to the allocation and pricing of natural gas.

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V: This is the EGoM which was set up two years ago, <i>na</i>?
N: Yeah, two years go.

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N: The EGoM met on several occasions and taking into account national interest has allocated the natural gas -

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N: - to various sectors like Fertilizer, Power, LPG extraction and CGD.

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N: Of course we have disputed the allocation on some very legitimate grounds. Our contention was that gas-based power projects -

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N: -in Andhra Pradesh and Nagarjuna Fertilizer Unit in Kakinada are the only projects -

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N: - which had firm gas allocation from central government from KG Basin -

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N: - and that all other gas-based power projects in the country had firm allocation of gas from other basins.

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N: We submitted than in light of this it is only fair that EGoM should have first honoured all existing commitments before proceeding with -

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N: - new allocations or allocations to projects which were promoted on the basis of firm allocations from other gas fields.

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N: This issue is pending before the EGoM. We have also requested that we should get at least 10% of gas allocation on preferential basis -

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N: - for industrial development in our state as the first landfall point for the gas -

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N: - is our state. Even this request is pending before the EGoM.

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N: We're apprehending that litigation between RIL and RNRL might take away the powers of EGoM -

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N: - unless it is properly defended in the honourable Supreme Court.

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N: All gas supply contracts, be it family contracts or the GSPA with the power plants should become subordinate -

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N: - to the decisions of the EGoM and not otherwise.

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N: We cannot allow the decision making in regard to such an important resource -

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N: - to fall in the private monopolistic domain.

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N: I therefore request you to take appropriate action to protect the  rights of the government over allocation and pricing of -

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N: - natural gas.
V: Yeah...it's a very strong letter, ya!
N: Yeah!

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V: But he refers to the EGoM as it still exists. Does it exist?
N: No he said then, no? He doesn't I mean, he says you had and therefore -

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N: - I urge you, you know, to redo, you know, to do something about it again.
V: He says that he wants 10 % of the -

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V: - gas from KG basin, on a preferential basis for Andhra's needs, right?
N: Yeah, because it was really his state that got the uh...

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N: ...I mean, but they've got about 2400 megawatts of power, which they desperately need gas for, right now.

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N: You know, desperately, I mean, they're really in this...
V: So...

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N: And GVK is one of them, in that, whether they are...they've got a 400 megawatt plant.
V: Hmm.

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V: Hmm. Hmm.
N: <i> Kya karoon iska?</i> (What should I do about this?)
V: Strong letter, yeah. 
N: <i> Kya karoon</i> (What to do) ? I don't want it tucked away.

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V: <i>Isko, </i> Niira, objective advice, <i>isko aise akhbar mein do jo isko</i> lead flyer carry <i>karien</i> (Publish this in a paper which will carry it as a lead flyer.)

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V: Simple. I mean, this is a simple logic, you know?
N: Hmm.

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V: <i>Aur yah toh, isko</i> CNBC <i>ko aap do abhi. Ab</i> (Or give it to CNBC. Now) you know, then these people will uh, start you know, uh...

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V: ...will be adequately provoked, you know?
N: Hmm 
V: If CNBC carries it as lead -

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V: - whatever you know, uh, on a day, ten times a day, then everybody will start running around like helter skelter, you know?

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N: Hmm.
V: Don't you agree with me?
N: I agree with you.

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N: Yeah maybe I need to do that, yeah.
V: Yeah, <i>isko,</i> (this), I'm telling you, otherwise uh...

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V:...that's the only way to uh...to you know, sensitise people to the true value of stories you know, (chuckles).
N: Hmm. Correct. Correct.

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V: <i> Abhi to </i> Rohini <i> ka </i> story, (And Rohini's story) if I were editor, this is clean page 1 top half -
N: Yeah that's right.
V: - Lead story or whatever, you know?

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N: Hmm.
V: Yeah so. And this...

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V: In this country there are power producers, there are power consumers. Millions of power consumers.

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V: And such a critical issue is being debated, <i>aur yeh log dar dar ke</i> (and these people, in a scared fashion,) just because somebody is bloody promising them some ads or some nonsense -

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V: - you know, <i> andar dal rahein hein usko utha utha ke</i>, you know (they're publishing those articles, you know.)
N: <i>Nahin par</i> Ravi <i>ne mujhe khud bola ke humko dhai lakh, dhai </i> (No but Ravi has told me himself that 1.5 lakhs) -

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N: - 2 and half crores <i>se</i> (inaudible) <i>se jyada</i> advertising <i>nahin dete</i> and I'm more worried about Tata's 70-80 crores, so I said okay, if you're -

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N: - worried about that then let me talk to Mr. Tata and let him know what you're doing. I told Ravi on his face, that day.

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N: I said Ravi, I'll tell you one thing, huh. If you're now telling me that you've got a problem with 70-80 crores, I'll also talk to Sunil and -

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N: - tell him also the same thing now. <i>Ke</i> (That) this is what you guys do.
V: Who is Sunil?

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N: Sunil Mittal.
V: Ah, hmm hmm hmm.

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N: I'm  meeting him tomorrow. I told him...I told Ravi Dhariwal this, that Ravi, you're saying that he's only giving you 5 crores -

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N: - for advertising then what are you guys scared of then are you...are your people personally compromised?
V: Hmm.

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N: I said, you know Ra - I've heard that...I didn't take any names, I said Rahul is close to Amitabh.
V: Hmm, hmm hmm.

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N: Bodhi <i>toh</i> I said don't tell me anything about Bodhi, I don't want to - I said by the way I've got a request from Rahul Joshi yesterday for Ratan Tata's interview with -

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N: - Swaminathan Aiyar in ET.
V: Hmm hmm hmm hmm.
N: Which I said Ratan won't do electronic, he'll do print.
V: <i>Haan haan haan haan</i> (Yes yes yes yes).

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N: I said no to Bodhi.
V: Hmm hmm hmm hmm.
N: So he said no we will talk about it, why not Bodhi, I want Swami to do it. I actually want you to do it Venu.

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N: But I don't - I can't take your name directly, you know. If I take your name then he'll think that you and I are talking and all that, you know?

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V: Hmm hmm hmm.
N: So how do I play... work around that?

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V: <i>Abhi</i> uh...Niira I think for...at this stage it's better that Swami does it because -

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N: No Swami will, maybe, you see he wanted Bodhi to come with Swami, right?
V: No, then I'll come with Swami, I can come with Swami then.
N: That's what I meant, yeah yeah.

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V: So.
N: Because I...so when I sent him an e - he sent me an email yesterday, when we were sitting there yesterday -

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N: - in meeting.
V: Hmm hmm.
N: Saying why not Bodhi and I'm coming and I want to, that's why I want to discuss with you and I said I'm sorry, there's no discussion on this one...

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N: No Bodhi.
V: He...Rahul says that Bodhi will come with Swami.
N: Yeah, Bodhi will come with Swami. I said no, sorry, that is not acceptable.

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N: Then he replied back saying I am in Delhi on Friday, we'll meet on Friday and let's -

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N: - resolve this issue once and for all about Bodhi, I said there's nothing to resolve I told you what I had to say about Bodhi, no Bodhi.

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V: <i>Toh abhi uh...</i> (So now...) Niira now...I think you just insist that Swami -

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V: - alone should come. <i>Kyunki abhi</i> (Because now) if you say me, then there'll be an issue because I'll tell you what. Then you know -

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V: - between you and me all this partly flows from Samir Jain also, because Samir Jain has a completely -

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V: - kinky mind and he likes people like Bodhi who are, <i>matlab</i> (meaning) he loves you know -

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V: - editors who are supine, and who are cringing before him and who are doing uh...who are crawling before they are asked to bend, you know?

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V: <i>Toh...</i> (So)...So if <i>thoda</i> (a  few) people like me and TK, we express our views, I mean at least we try to test the -

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V: - the limits of their you know, of the (chuckles) we do -

126
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V: - in tennis, we do baseline play, you know? You explore the line at least, <i>na</i>, so...

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V: Then this...my...my only fear is that this bloody, this VC should not get pissed off, you know?

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N: Hmmm.
V: Then he'll start fingering me big time, you know?
N: No, I'll keep quiet, I'll just wait for the story to pass and then we'll see -

129
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N: - we'll revisit it again, there's no hurry.
V: I mean, I'm just being very frank with you.
N: No no, there's no hurry, I think  I should let Rahul in any case sweat it out.

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V: I'll...I'll take this rain check. Maybe at a later date, Ratan Tata is there in meeting you know, I'd like to -

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N: Hmm. So we'll have a - when you're in Bombay we'll have a meal with him. That will be much better. Because I've told him a lot about you.

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N: We'll do that. I mean, he likes to meet people who are...you know, who intellectually stimulate his discussion, you know?

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N: So he's good that way. But Venu, so...what I'll do is, I'll just let Rahul sweat it out, I'm not going to give him the interview, I'll just keep quiet.

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V: Yeah, don't give it easily because...I mean yesterday, I also told Niira... Manoj Modi asked me -

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V: <i>Ki kya...kaise karna chahiye, toh maine kaha</i> (How should we do it, so I said) you have to -

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V: - match the decibel level, <i>na</i>? Phone <i>karke chilata hai, har teesre din woh</i> (He calls up and yells, every third day), this Anil Ambani, so.

137
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V: So. I think Niira, it's also a good idea to...to somehow have uh...

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V:...some communication between MDA and this bloody VC <i>aur</i> MDA, you know.
N: <i>Nahin, usne manaa kar diya</i> (No, he said no.)

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V: Hmm.
N: Both Ratan and Mukesh <i>na</i>, refused.

140
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N: They just don't have faith in them.
V: Hmm.

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N: <i> Nahin karega woh</i>. (He won't do it.)
V: <i>Nahin karega</i>? (He won't?)

142
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N: They'll ask then...Ravi mentioned the same to me last week so when I raised it, that you know, at least Anil goes and meets them -

143
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N: - why don't you guys meet at least I'll tell him you know, he can come to you, said, don't, you know.

144
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N: You don't want to carry our news, doesn't matter. They wanna write against us - let them do.

145
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V: Do you think a letter to the...MD is possible? Just a letter, you know?

146
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N: From MDA to Sunil is it?
V: Yeah, broadly saying that we uh, that we...I mean, it can sort of say that -

147
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V: - we uh...congratulations for launch of ETNow and then you can raise this issue.

148
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V: That there is a raging controversy which involves national interest and we hope uh the paper...

149
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V:...takes a stand which is uh...which...

150
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V:...in keeping with what public - what YSR Reddy has written <i>na? Asisa kabhi</i> one you should <i>lagao</i> you know?

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N: Hmm.
V: No?
N: Mmm. Maybe.

152
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V: Hmm.
N: How's Prabhakar Sinha in Times?

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V: My information that he and his brother Arun -

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V: - Kumar, they are retainers you know, hmm. (chuckles) On the other side, you know?

155
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N: Hmm.
V: You know Arun Kumar, <i>na</i>?
N: I know Arun, yeah.

156
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V: They operate together, that's what I've heard.
N: Hmm.

157
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V: You must have also heard this, no?
N: He was there with Arindam yesterday...

158
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N: He's been writing fairly good stories with my team, I must say. But uh...he's been neutral...

159
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N: He was saying yesterday, he was really, you know, he was really giving them <i>gaalis</i> (abuses), you know?
V: <i>Accha</i>?

160
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N: Hmm.

161
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V: Now, about Arun Kumar I'm very sure that he is uh -
N: Arun Kumar - I agree with you.

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N: Yeah, absolutely.
V: Yeah, at times they work together. But maybe, maybe he's figured that...that...you can't be as blatant -

163
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V: - in Timesgroup as he is in the HT Group, you know?
N: Correct, correct.

164
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V: So that Arun Kumar and Sandeep Bansai used to...Niira, they used to be so openly partisan -

165
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V: - that at one stage Shekhar Bhatia, I met Shekhar Bhatia at dinner, he was Executive Editor then.
N: Hmm.

166
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V: Shekhar Bhatia told me that he told Sandeep Bansai that <i>bhai, kam se kam ek hafta toh chhod do</i> (at least stop it for one week)!

167
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V: - when you don't plug this guy. At least let me see if three months, uh, at least three to six months that you don't plug him, you know?

168
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N: Hmm.
V: You don't plug so much that credibility of yours and your bloody business page goes, you know?

169
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N: Correct yeah, yeah.
V: This is what Shekhar Bhatia told him publicly.

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N: Yeah, I don't blame him, my God. He used to be so much, remember, so blatant, both him and Sandeep and Arun Kumar together...

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V: Yeah yeah yeah.
N: So blatant, my God, yeah, yeah that was...

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N: We met uh...Sukumar and this one, Sanjay Narain yesterday...
V: <i>Haan, haan haan haan</i>.

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N: You could tell which side they were coming from, <i>haan</i>.
V: That uh...that Sanjay Narain is uh...

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V:...has an old friendship with uh...Tony, <i>na</i>?
N: <i>Haan</i>.

175
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V: Hmm. They have some great common interests - music, you know.
N: Hmm.

176
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V: And then Anil Ambani also keeps meeting uh..Sanjay Narain in you know, fairly, regular intervals, you know.

177
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N: Hmm. That's correct.
V: But Sukumar I don't know. What is Sukumar's uh...this thing?

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N: He's okay. He's a bit more uh..a bit more straight.

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V: No no, Sukumar is a straight guy, yeah. He's not so much into...you know?
N: Hmm.

180
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V: So much into -
N: I think Shobhna has told uh...this one, um...

181
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N:...Sanjay. That as far as we're concerned, the position that our paper will take...

182
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N:...is that this is an issue of national interest and for someone who doesn't have one megawatt of power...

183
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N:...I'm certainly not going to support him.
V: Absolutely, yeah, hmm.
N: Yeah.

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N: And he is, you know, he is not going to add any value to anyone's life. And I don't want to this thing and therefore you  better stay -

185
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N: - play straight.
V: Yeah yeah yeah.

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N: She's told him that, yeah.
V: That's a good thing actually.

187
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V: Because...I was also told that Anil Ambani had some little role to play in -

188
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V: - Sanjay coming to HT also, you know?
N: Hmm.

189
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V: I mean, this is what people say, I don't know how far this is true, you know.

190
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N: But yeah he worked with Mukul and all that, that crowd that socializes with uh... Shobhana in the evening...

191
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N: And put Sanjay's name forward and all that. Vir was telling me about it, yeah.
V: Hmm, hmm hmm.

192
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V: <i>Woh sab hai, inka sab chalta hai aise</i> (That's all there, this is how it works for these guys.)
N: Hmm.

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(pause)

194
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N: <i>Theek hai</i>
V: The request what, Rahul's request can -

195
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N: You see, he has been chasing me for interviews for MDA and uh RNT for television.

196
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N: Which they both right now MDA will not do because of the court case and RNT said I will not do uh...electronic.

197
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N: We'll see later on, I don't want to do TV.
V: You saw Nusli Wadia's interviews, Rohini Singh has done.

198
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N: Oh yeah, she was telling me she was doing it, which is right. I didn't get a chance yesterday to see it, but it was on yesterday was it?

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V: It was, no no, they showed some promo because he's not given interview in nine years, <i>na</i>?

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N: Yeah promos I saw, yeah. It was good for her to get that interview, yeah.

201
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V: Yeah, it's a lot of curiosity element.
N: Yeah.

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V: So...Kamalnath actually, just between you and me, Kamalnath called Nusli and said, <i>bhai yeh</i> interview <i>dena hai unko</i> (you have to give this interview to them).

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N: Wow. Very good, very good. So then uh, this, no so....

204
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N: - So then Rahul has been on my case saying that Ratan, then why doesn't he do print?
V: <i>Haan haan</i>.

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N: So then I said, I've been saying who will interview, then he said Swami.

206
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N: So I said okay, but uh...I will then, uh...Swami and then he said -

207
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N:- no Bodhi will come with Swami, this is the mail he sent. And then I said no, I'm sorry.

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V: Hmm.
N: You know, this. There's no question of Bodhi.

209
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V: Finally the budget edition MDA agreed to write, you were saying <i>na </i> that initially he was holding out.

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N: Yeah, we took a conscious call that day that he should write for all the four.
V: Hmm hmm hmm.

211
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N: And uh...which is what he did, he agreed to do it, yeah.
V: Yeah yeah, hmm.

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N: He did that last minute last week. I said to him, I said, you know, since you are here, you haven't gone away...you were supposed to go to Botswana and I said -

213
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N: - you haven't gone, people know you are in town. And you've been doing it, so why don't you just do it. So he said okay, as long as you guys write it and let me check -

214
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N: - it. And then he did his own corrections. You know, he micromanages to such an extent where he almost rewrote the whole pieces again. (chuckles)

215
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V: Hmm hmm.
N: He's good that way, you know, that's good, yeah.

216
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N: I must say him and Ratan have really hit it off well, huh.
V: Who?
N: Ratan and Mukesh.

217
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V: <i>Accha accha accha</i>, yeah yeah.
N: They've really hit it off well.

218
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V: Maybe at a later stage, Niira, once Ratan formulates his thoughts on this resources...

219
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V:... a general piece on India's natural resources should be treated, you know.

220
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N: I think he is dying to do something like that but I have a feeling he might take it up with the Prime Minister.

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V: After he meets the Prime Minister, yeah.
N: Hmm.

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V: After he exchanges notes on this with the PM...
N: Hmm.
V: Hmm.

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N: I have a feeling he's gonna do something like that, yeah.

224
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V: Then you can carry him on our edit page, you know, that big slot, you know?
N: Correct, yeah.

225
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N: Yeah I'll have a word with him. He's due on...to you in any case no, so...I'll...

226
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N: I'll have a chat with him.
V: So Manoj Modi is here today also, <i>na</i>?

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N: Yeah he's leaving in the afternoon. Later part of the afternoon. We're meeting Pranoy  today. So...

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N: We need to support Pranoy, you know. I feel that he needs to be supported, yeah.

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V: You know, he's a...he's a straight guy, you know, at the end of the day. He doesn't play games, you know?
N: That's right, that's right.

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N: Now that's why...
V: And he has a...

231
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V: That's why I once told you that NDTV is a channel which has a certain you know, credibility with the political class also.

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V: The political class -
N: Correct. Absolutely, yeah!

233
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V: - they believe what NDTV says, you know? They don't...and since the organisation in any case is commercially not -

234
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V: - so well off. So they think that <i>theek hai</i> (alright), this is a bit like Express, <i>apna</i> (our) chugging along in terms of uh...

235
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V: In terms of money. But uh, still keeping to certain minimum uh standards of credibility and all, you know.

236
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V: That Pranoy has, you know.
N: Hmm, hmm.
V: So even like....

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V: Most Congressmen would believe NDTV rather than you know, they...CNN-IBN or something, you know.

238
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V: So there is a certain strong credibility there.
N: That's right, yeah.
V: Hmm.

239
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N: Yeah they do have a...this thing. That's good.

240
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N: Oh well, we're meeting him today.
V: Yeah yeah.

241
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N: Great.
V: <i>Accha,</i> so the Supreme Court thing is day after, <i>na</i>?

242
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N: No...Supreme Court is (on the) 20th.
V: Oh sorry, 20th, okay, okay.

243
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V: <i>Achcha</i>, what happened, I also learned that there's lot of uh...

244
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V: MPs...what you told me...that somebody else has told me, that all MPs were agitated about this, you know?

245
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V: And they were writing letters and -
N: Advani has cautioned MPs...
V: <i>Haan haan</i>.

246
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N: Against being part of a corporate war. This is a story that uh...and Rajnath Singh has issued -

247
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N: - gag orders on...and uh...Advani has told them be aware of another cash-for-query scam.

248
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N: Advani says.
V: <i>Achcha, achcha achcha achcha</i>. Has somebody written this? No?

249
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N: Hmm. Came out in ET.
V: ET, hmm hmm hmm.
N: On 8th...yesterday. And -

250
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N: - then Pioneer.
V: Hmm, hmm.

251
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V: Oh God. (Chuckles). Do you think this will escalate into a really big thing before it goes to the Supreme Court?

252
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N: Actually, it should. 
V: It should, <i>na</i>?

253
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N: I think it should where somebody should turn around and say that why is uh...you know...

254
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N: I guess BJP is in favour of public assets being used for private agreements.

255
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V: Hmm hmm hmm.
N: You know? I mean, it's an issue of national interest. I mean, Murli Manohar Joshi is the one who's been writing...
V: Hmm hmm hmm.

256
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N: So they are the ones who really are uh...you know.
V: He has written to PM is it?
N: Yeah.
V: <i>Achcha, achcha</i>.

257
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N: He's saying what the hell is this, you know? And few other MPs wrote, about 15 other MPs wrote...

258
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V: Any other MP of credibility -
N: - on their own, <i>haan</i>.
V: - have written? Like uh...

259
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V: Any other MPs with good image, credibility have written?
N: Uh...I can't rememb- yeah yeah, quite...quite a few -

260
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N: - of them. Um...I know that uh...Rashtrapal has written -

261
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N: - Praveen Rashtrapal. He's got lot of credibility. He's a Rajya Sabha old hand. 
V: Old hand, yeah.
N: Yeah yeah. You know?

262
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N: I know he's written. There's quite a number of them who've written.

263
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N: Ajay Prakash Narayan. Sabharwal, of course. Everybody knows him.

264
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N: He's written. Lot of...lot of uh...not all BJP, then um...left front.

265
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N: Basudev Acharya. Um, this guys um...

266
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N: Nawaz Salim is no longer an MP, but this guy, Raja,  B Raja.
V:  B Raja's also written, huh?
N: Yeah yeah yeah, they've all -

267
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N: I mean, you know how they are. They have the socialist mindset.
V: Hmm, hmm hmm.
N: They're very clear about -

268
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N: They're not taking sides with either brother. They're saying what the hell is this?

269
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V: The problem is, Niira, about 15 years ago in Indian journalism -

270
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V: - at least four-five top editors would have strongly uh...written a strong piece, you know?

271
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V: But today...on the lines of that it's in national interest too, you know?
N: Hmm.

272
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V: To whatever, rationally allocate gas and all.

273
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V: Today just look around you know? Do you see any editor making a...uh...

274
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V: You know, really sort of trying to, you know, build a kind of consensus or -

275
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V: - trying to raise this debate to that level, you know?
N: Hmm.

276
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V: You see, all the editors are preoccupied with advertising, branding (chuckles). I mean, can you imagine Sanjay Narain writing a strong piece in HT?

277
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V: In any case he's never written a piece. Barring, he writes a column on music you know?
N: Hmm.

278
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V: I mean, it would have been shocking 20 years ago if as a...

279
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V: If somebody was told that the editor of Hindustan Times writes a music column, you know? (Laughs)
N: Hmm, hmm hmm.

280
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V: You know, editors used to write regular columns, you know, once in 10 days, uh, you know?
N: Hmm.

281
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V: On national, issues, you know?
N: Hmm.

282
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V: I mean this is what journalism has come to, you know?
N: Isn't it? So bad...

283
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V: Hmm.
N: I noticed these guys didn't get a stay in - they didn't get their way in TDSAT yesterday.

284
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V: Yeah yeah, that TDSAT... nothing.

285
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N: Did you people carry that story?
V: I think it has been carried, yeah.  Hmm.

286
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(pause)

287
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V: So you're here for a couple of days, Niira? 
N: Yeah, till tomorrow.

288
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V: Tomorrow?
N: Yeah. Yeah.
V: Keep me posted if something happens, <i>haan</i>?

289
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N: Definitely, definitely.
V: Okay?
N: Okay then. Great. Thanks, thanks Venu. Bye, bye.
(Tape ends)

