Phone Rings
Suhel Seth: Hello? Niira Radia: Haan.. you're really down ha..
Suhel Seth: I'm miserable you can't imagine. Niira Radia: My God! You're sounding awful.
Suhel Seth: How's your tooth? Niira Radia: My tooth.. swelling's gone down.. little pain, but I'll be okay. But I'm on medication.
Suhel Seth: Anyway you were right about what you said about that other person doing the mischief. Niira Radia: Hmm.. Suhel Seth: (Coughs)
Suhel Seth: Yesterday I met this lady called Heather Timmons, you know of the New York Times? So she said that apparently those guys are really going all out ha.. and I had a word with Jaitly also, when I got back. I was going to meet these guys for dinner on Sunday night but I was in no shape.
Suhel Seth: In fact yesterday Ryan also dropped by because I was in no shape to go anywhere. Niira Radia: Hmm. Oh dear me! Suhel Seth: And I told him that this is what Niira's said.. I just don't know.. you forwarded that SMS to me..
Suhel Seth: I have also done my own investigation.. I said that how many bloody investigations do you do where everything is wrong? Niira: (laughs) Suhel Seth: You said you have done investigations.. He said nahi nahi...mereko yeh bola gaya (I was told so.)
Suhel Seth: I said she doesn't have the time. On the contrary she has offered any assistance whenever you need it. Not for this kind of stuff but any genuine you know.. dissemination.
Suhel Seth: So he says no no.. that's damn sweet and yeh woh (this and that). So I am glad yaar we clarified this because this is a bloody cruel country I have now realized.. Niira Radia: It's an awful country. I don't know what we are doing here I tell you. Suhel Seth: I swear.
Suhel Seth: No, but Niira I'm again off tomorrow- day after, you know for my genuine holiday. And I am so happy- I was telling my mom just now. There's no point living -
Niira Radia: Where you going? Suhel Seth: I am going off to Umbria. Niira Radia: Oh lovely!
Suhel Seth: And then to Monaco because some of my friends have a place there... in Italy. So just about 8-10 of us they've invited. All you do is just chill. No bloody Advani, Vajpayee, Sonia, nothing of that nonsense.
Niira Radia: Oh lovely! In the night I wish I could get away from this place, gosh! Suhel Seth: (laughs) You're in the thick of it, in more ways than you can ever imagine!
Niira Radia: I know.. Suhel Seth: But, what happened? Wasn't there some hearing or court season? Niira Radia: Today's case got lifted for 20th.
Suhel Seth: Oh.. 25th of July? Niira Radia: 20th.. Suhel Seth: Haan.. Niira Radia: 20 July.
Niira Radia: So we will have another grind for another week and listen to all this... nonsense that they will put out for sure.. Suhel Seth: It's just ridiculous.
Niira Radia: Yeah.. Suhel Seth: But you know also everything that he had sent to Manoj.. there's no situation.. they don't have a case.. the Bombay fellow had obviously given a..
Niira Radia: No you know.. he got paid off.. Gulam Vanavati is sitting there na.. Suhel Seth: And you know he is his best friend na.. Niira Radia: Hmm.. absolutely.
Niira Radia: Absolutely.. kya karenge? (What will they do?) Suhel Seth: But I'll tell you, it's so sad.
Niira Radia: Toh Suhel, kya karoge? Batao na, kuch karo (So Suhel what will you do? Tell me... do something) Suhel Seth: Main toh abhi jaa hi raha hoon. Main kya karoonga? (I am going now. What can I do?)
Suhel Seth: But.. one minute.. my dog is also going berserk. Google! Sit down. Niira Radia: (Giggles) I love that name! Google!
Suhel Seth: Because he can find anything that none of us can find. Obviously coz he has hidden it. Niira Radia: (Laughs) So sweet!
Suhel Seth: No.. so what I'll do is.. I'll be honest with you.. I've not even gotten up, so that I can put pen to paper. Otherwise in any case I'm there.. and .. do you want me to speak to anyone? Not that you don't know anyone..
Suhel Seth: I'm probably meeting Pranoy day after for lunch. I'm certainly meeting him. I don't know if it will be for lunch or whatever. But I'll also park with him because he is also closer to the older fellow.
Niira Radia: No we'll be meeting him actually. Meeting him on Thursday also.. I'm also meeting him. Suhel Seth: Oh brilliant! We better make sure that we don't coincide. (Both laugh)
Niira Radia: Yeah but what I thought was you know.. if you write Suhel that this was so good.. but you'll talk from there.. you are on a pakka holiday..
Suhel Seth: Actually I'm on a pakka holiday for once. You know why? Because every bloody time I go there's some CII nonsense, there's some other nonsense. Main toh phone hi nahin leke jaa raha (I am not taking the phone at all)
Suhel Seth: Otherwise there's no way yaar! I'm telling you we are always just.. I mean I don't know how you do it. Niira Radia: I'm trying to get a break, it's just crazy.
Suhel Seth: But when are you going to take a break? Niira Radia: I don't know. I was hoping to do it last week but obviously that didn't happen. So maybe after the 20th. I will take off for a week or something.
Suhel Seth: Where? In Europe? Niira Radia: Yeah. Europe, yeah. I wanted to also go to Italy.
Suhel Seth: If you're in London, then just SMS me. I'm back in London on the 24th. Niira Radia: Yeah I should be. You know I was gonna go for that Michael Jackson concert.. Suhel Seth: Are you serious? Niira Radia: ... the last concert.. I was supposed to go in a day or two.
Suhel Seth: Oh God! Niira Radia: Yeah well that's gone. So can't go. I had already got my....In fact my friends had arranged for us all to go. There was a box there so I was gonna go.
Suhel Seth: Oh my.. Niira Radia: Anyway. Now we can't go. Anyway he's not there so.. we'll do something else. I don't know with this matter coming up on the 20th when I can travel.
Niira Radia: So lot of things going on even on the Tata's side. There's so much going on. So I need to get away for a week and take.. Suhel Seth: But Tata has frankly everything under control in the media atleast na?
Niira Radia: Yeah media is under control but there are a lot of stuff that they are handling at the policy level no? Suhel Seth: Correct, correct but I'm saying thank God atleast at the media level there's no.. nothing.. it's all good on the contrary.
Niira Radia: Yeah, yeah it's all under control. Thank God! My God or else can you imagine if they both ... Suhel Seth: I swear man.. it would have been unbelievable.
Niira Radia: But on the 20th its also the Tata Power matter haan.. the Sasan matter. That's also coming up in the Supreme Court. Suhel Seth: What is that matter yaar?
Niira Radia: They have .. Anil Ambani fixed the EGoM to get diversion of coal. So he diverted .. Suhel Seth: I will ask one thing.. only between the two of us.
Niira Radia: Hmmm... Suhel Seth: If the older fellow has so much of influence, how come the younger bugger is being able to do so much?
Niira Radia: Yeh last time hua tha na Amar Singh ka woh nuclear deal ke baad (This had happened last time, after Amar Singh's nuclear deal) It was limited at that period of 3-4 months. And when they said they will get support for the nuclear deal. It was only limited in that period. After that everything is.. you know.
Niira Radia: Then Amar Singh made sure he did what he could. And even all the ED enquiries against Anil Ambani have started again. Suhel Seth: Thank God.
Niira Radia: So even he has borrowed 10 billion dollars in two years. Suhel Seth: But wasn't there something that apparently he had taken money against some foreign holding and got it back or some rubbish like that? Niira Radia: Ya, he played the market.
Niira Radia: Basically he's played according to... sort of .. all the figures that have been brought to us. He's roughly played about 40,000/- in the market and lost it.
Niira Radia: When he has to pay it back, his balance sheet's showing right now a debt of 75,000 crores. And unless he can bring in equity which his brother won't allow him to bring in 'cause he's got the ROFR... he can't do anything.
Niira Radia: So he can only fight us in court and use the media and do whatever he wants. So he's in a tight corner. Suhel Seth: My God yaar!
Niira Radia: And this whole gas thing is for nothing else. He is just basically saying, give me money. Suhel Seth: But the older fellow shouldn't succumb. Niira Radia: Nothing at all. He is really sure.
Suhel Seth: They should now really nail him. Niira Radia: He is gonna nail him. He has had enough of him. Suhel Seth: And plus he is no ones' friend.
Niira Radia: No he is no ones' friend. You see, look at it now Suhel. All the industries are on one side and Anil is on one. Everyone's on ... Suhel Seth: Ya. Sunil Mittal, I was speaking at a function on June 30, at the FD-HSBC thing. I mean we were together, sitting at the same table... he was bitching out Anil as well.
Niira Radia: Yeah, yeah in fact he is back tomorrow in Delhi. Suhel Seth: Who? Niira Radia: Sunil no..
Suhel Seth: Okay.. I don't know. Niira Radia: He was also saying that he had had enough of him. He has been fighting him on Telecom side no...
Niira Radia: So we are all.. everyone's now on one side including the Tata's, because Tata is also battling this issue out. And he.. Anil's on one side. So maybe we should all just get together and.. put this misery to an end, finally.
Suhel Seth: (laughing) I can't even laugh so much, my chest is aching. 'Put the misery...' (laughing) Niira Radia: He is a misery, isn't he? Suhel Seth: He is a pain in the ass! Niira Radia: I know.
Suhel Seth: If it weren't for him you would have been on your holiday by now. Niira Radia: Isn't it.. just.. my God!
Niira Radia: Chal I won't be talking to you otherwise, would I have then! (laughs) Suhel Seth: Oh God!
Niira Radia: Then you better get well soon. Suhel Seth: I will. Are you in Delhi? Niira Radia: I am in Delhi, yeah. Suhel Seth: Okay then, so I'll give you a buzz tomorrow. If you're free and all that. Let's hook up at least for a drink. (ends abruptly)