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Phone Rings

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Vir Sanghvi: Hi Niira.
Niira: Hi Vir. Where are you Delhi or...

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Vir Sanghvi: I'm in Jaipur. Coming back this evening.
Niira: Okay. I just wanted to, I've been talking to my Tamil Nadu friends.

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Vir Sanghvi: Okay.
Niira: I just need to, I don't know whether you are in the position to get through to anyone at Congress. I just met Kani just now.

5
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Vir Sanghvi: Okay.
Niira: And I've been, you know, we've been at it since yesterday. The problem is...

6
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Vir Sanghvi: I was supposed to meet Sonia today but I've been stuck here. So, now it's becoming tomorrow. I've been dealing with Rahul but tell me?

7
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Niira: No, I'll tell you what - they are not understanding that they are actually communicating with the wrong guy. Not because I detest Maran but actually the father has not nominated Maran to negotiate. Now, you know, it's like a banana republic the way the cabinet formation plays out.

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Vir Sanghvi: Then why Maran became the face, they all hate Maran.

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Niira: No. He is not, he is not. I know, no. But the Congress is under the impression. They have already apparently indicated to Maran that the Prime Minister will not give infrastructure berth to DMK, which, but he himself is desperately pushing for an infrastructure berth for himself.

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Vir Sanghvi: Right.
Niira: But the problem is that there is a leader which is Kani's brother which is Azhagiri, who's won that election and he is a mass leader.

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Vir Sanghvi: Okay.
Niira: Now what has apparently Maran has gone and indicated to Congress is that he will accept a MoS independent and you leave it with me, everything will be okay.

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Vir Sanghvi: Okay.
Niira: Which saves Baalu, Raja and Maran Cabinet posts independent to Azhagiri and MoS to Kani.
Vir Sanghvi: Okay.

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Niira: Now, Azhagiri is a very, you know, he is, he is a mass leader. He controls half of Tamil Nadu for Karunanidhi's point of view.
Vir Sanghvi: Okay.

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Niira: He is far too, too senior for Maran. So, what he has told his father that if you make Maran a cabinet minister...
Vir Sanghvi: Yeah.

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Niira: ...I will not come into the cabinet. And the father cannot afford to upset him because... 
Vir Sanghvi: Obviously.

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Niira: ...simply because of his position. 
Vir Sanghvi: Yeah.

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Niira: Right now the Congress doesn't seem to be understanding this. 
Vir Sanghvi: So, who should they talk to?

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Niira: They need to, look, they need to talk directly to Karunanidhi, they need to talk to Kani. 
Vir Sanghvi: Sonia spoke to him yesterday, you know.

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Niira: No, she didn't speak to him. Only Prime Minister spoke even that was Kani was translating for him. It was very brief that, you know, let's try and resolve this issue. There is nothing at all and whatever. They need to get Ghulam Nabi Azad to speak to Kanimozhi.

20
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Vir Sanghvi: Okay.
Niira: Seriously, that's the only thing that will work and Kani will take them to her father.

21
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Vir Sanghvi: I won't get into Sonia in the short term, let me try and get through to Ahmed.
Niira: No. But they need to speak to Kani and Kani will take him to their, her father directly.

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Vir Sanghvi: Okay.
Niira: He has no problem with three cabinet berths at all. In fact it is the Congress that messed it up.
Vir Sanghvi: Mm-hmm.

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Niira: Had they, had they not kept on insisting and kept on pushing Maran forward. They themselves have been pushing Maran forward.

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Niira: They would have left it to Raja and... Baalu even if they wanted, or Raja and Azhagiri and Kani would have taken independent. Nobody - it is Congress they started this whole Maran dialogue.

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Vir Sanghvi: Oh, I have been thinking that DMK nominated Maran.

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Niira: No. No. No. No, they did, they've sent a list earlier with five portfolios and Maran's name because father was pushed from all sides so he had to send a list with everybody's name on it.

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Niira: But he was hoping that Congress would come back and say okay we will accept Raja or we will not, or not Raja, we will give you only three portfolios right? But they have not able to, the communication that's been happening in Congress with DMK has been completely warped. They are talking to the wrong guys.

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Vir Sanghvi: Okay. Let me try and get through to Ahmed. 
Niira: The, the simplest way is Kanimozhi.
Vir Sanghvi: Yeah.

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Niira: And Kanimozhi will take them to her father directly.
Vir Sanghvi: Okay.

30
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Niira: And they can have this, you know, whatever are the, the concerns, whatever they want to say, let them say in front of Karunanidhi.
Vir Sanghvi: And he'll never mind. He will not mind.

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Niira: Yeah, they should say, they should say we don't want Maran. 
Vir Sanghvi: Okay. Done. Let me just try and get through and I'll let you know soon.

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Niira: But the moment you drop Maran, your problem gets resolved because Azhagiri has done okay. 
Vir Sanghvi: Okay.
Niira: Yeah.

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Vir Sanghvi: Okay.
Niira: Okay. Give him this message. She is right now...
Vir Sanghvi: I just...

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Niira: She is in her South Avenue residence.
Vir Sanghvi: They have her mobile no, you know?
Niira: I just met her.

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Vir Sanghvi: Okay.
Niira: And some Tamil Nadu Congress guys has also gone just now to meet her. 
Vir Sanghvi: Okay.

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Niira: I don't think it needs to be done at that level. It needs to be done at, at Ghulam Nabi Azad level or...
Vir Sanghvi: Well, I'll talk with Ahmed. I'm going to talk to him.

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Niira: Yeah.
Vir Sanghvi: Yeah.

